Well, you could place a steep tax on robotics, but A)that still costs somebody, B)would take awhile to be effective, and C)would go against Mr. Martyn's decree. Another idea I had a few years ago was to count TARP money as payment for student loans. That way, the banks got their money, the federal government wasn't tasked for any additional funds than it had already promised to give, and huge numbers of Americans in their 20s, 30s, and 40s would be liberated from a debt burden that can't be discharged through bankruptcy. Since the late 20s and 30s are the prime demographic for large purchases (houses, furniture for houses, cars, etc) and childbearing, this would have immediately sparked considerable demand for durable goods. Moreover, since parents also take out loans, a forgiveness program would have eased burden on a boomer generation that is now entering retirement. The only obstacle here is that, perhaps sensing their vulnerability here, Wall Street banks sold their student loans to regional "non-profit" entities expressely set up to manage them. I still think you could do something retro-active... ...in any case, a much stronger role for the state in education is clearly an idea whose implementation is long overdue.

My copy from Amazon shipped out today...I've been looking forward to this book ever since you mentioned it. Question: my alma mater is Thunderbird; did you make any outreach efforts there when circulating your letter?

Regarding the book review...what are your thoughts on his last paragraph, where he asks whether (in this new, multipolar world) rising economic powers such as BRIC would be receptive to your ideas? It would seem to me that China and Brazil have consistently sent signals along these lines...I'm not sure about India (Russia isn't really a factor). Would you agree with that? Have you had any interaction with governments there that you could share?