Endless political debate goes into what economic policies are needed to create more and better jobs. Most people rely on labor, not invested capital, to produce the income they need to buy housing, food, health care, and transportation, so these are important debates. But they may be missing the point. Most of today’s jobs will be obsolete within a few decades. We need to start redefining the way we determine how humans obtain basic necessities, and how they can “earn” luxuries like cars, indoor plumbing, vacation cruises, jewelry, and Internet access so they can read read articles like this one.

Greetings and the blessings of the NABIL be upon you.

I am but visiting your fair Planet and find I am myself in some distress. I have with me 72,086,548 Suroof$ from Planet Endradil as legacy from my late host-mother but under interplanetary law I can’t not cash them on my own self without I have partner from local Planet, that is Earth which is your Home Planet where I now am because of wildlife protection regulations that keep you Earth Humans from being taken advantage of by the many con artists who inhabit this part of Your Galaxy, a lovely one I might add despite the economic disfortitude of some of its citizens.

In 1970 I was fresh out of high school, working in a gas station in Los Angeles for one cent over minimum wage: $1.66 per hour. I worked 6 days a week, nine hours a day, for a net weekly paycheck of $96. With that little paycheck I had a decent studio apartment, a car, and enough cash in my pocket to eat out regularly — and even take a girl to a movie now and then. Today minimum wage won’t let you do all that. In 2004, in most cities, you’re lucky if you can stretch minimum wage to cover rent, let alone food, clothing, entertainment, and a car.

In this part of Florida, Republicans are so dominant that they remove dissident literature from “town hall” meetings, and Democrats don’t bother to run for state office in most districts. It’s much like the old Soviet Union here except The Party calls itself “Republican” instead of “Communist.” But just as there was always an underground in the Soviet Union, there is one here. And it turned out en masse to see Michael Moore’s Movie, Fahrenheit 9/11.

I’ve gotten more than half of my “Point and Click Linux” book ms. finished and sent to the publisher, and most of the rest is written — but I don’t need to have it in until July 21, so I can finish the thing without rushing, then take a look at it all and change anything I think needs changing. I’ll put the chapters up on pointandclicklinux.com (link above) soon, but right now I don’t really want to stare at a computer any more than necessary. Instead, I’m going to spend a little time enjoying my home and my boat during the hours I’m not working at my day job.