The Future of Work (And No, I'm Not Stalking Michael Gerson)
Matt Lewis
Columnist
Posted:
05/20/09
I saw Michael Gerson ... again.
I see him all the time, with his swashbuckling hair and those interesting glasses of his. Last time, was Mother's Day and the time before that was the Susan B. Anthony Dinner. Today I encountered him -- after getting two, count them, two -- painful fillings at my dentist appointment.
This time I didn't approach him, because 1). he might start to think I am stalking him, and 2). I could hardly talk to anyone, at that point, what with the Novocaine and all.
Gerson, of course, is the former Bush speech writer turned Washington Post columnist whom I have frequently criticized (though -- sensing we would someday meet again -- I did omit him from my list of the 10 most annoying Republicans). He was in Alexandria, VA, today with his wife (actually, she was shopping; he was reading a Kindle). Gerson was wearing a polo shirt and shorts (I mention this to illustrate that he was not wearing some necktie, sitting in a dark cubicle or office on this sunny Wednesday morning). Again, I am NOT stalking Michael Gerson...
You and I may never be Washington Post columnists (I may never be a Washington Post blogger either because only liberals get those gigs) but we may someday enjoy the lifestyle Mr. Gerson now enjoys. I have no doubt that he sometimes is very busy with meetings and deadlines, but other times, he is lunching with his wife at Rustico.
And you and I may one day do the same thing (except, probably with your own spouse -- not Michael Gerson's -- and probably at the Wendy's across the street).
TIME just did a story making this argument. I like to believe they got it right:
In short, this is "Free Agent Nation". You and I will most likely be consulting, in some form, or another. Of course, for this to happen, it is vital we reform health care. I want to make clear that I firmly believe in health care reform -- not socialized health care (there is a difference). What's wrong with the health care system today? A lot.
But mostly I'm concerned with the fact that it discourages entrepreneurs. Our system today is actually quite un-conservative. I mean, even if you have the ability and revenue stream to be freed from the shackles of the workaday world -- you may still decide you are better off not starting that small business ... because of health care.
Really, we don't need to reform health care, rather, we need to reform the tax code (and that will fix the health care crisis).
As the NYT writes,
Fixing the tax code will mean that doctors and hospitals will have to start competing with each other. It will mean that prices will no longer be artificially high, because doctors and hospitals will have to negotiate directly with consumers, allowing free market incentives and supply and demand to actually kick-in.
Someday you, me, and Michael Gerson might all get to have lunch in Alexandria. And we won't have to worry about our bosses yelling at us. ... And I'll pay -- with the money I'm saving on health care!
I see him all the time, with his swashbuckling hair and those interesting glasses of his. Last time, was Mother's Day and the time before that was the Susan B. Anthony Dinner. Today I encountered him -- after getting two, count them, two -- painful fillings at my dentist appointment.
This time I didn't approach him, because 1). he might start to think I am stalking him, and 2). I could hardly talk to anyone, at that point, what with the Novocaine and all.
Gerson, of course, is the former Bush speech writer turned Washington Post columnist whom I have frequently criticized (though -- sensing we would someday meet again -- I did omit him from my list of the 10 most annoying Republicans). He was in Alexandria, VA, today with his wife (actually, she was shopping; he was reading a Kindle). Gerson was wearing a polo shirt and shorts (I mention this to illustrate that he was not wearing some necktie, sitting in a dark cubicle or office on this sunny Wednesday morning). Again, I am NOT stalking Michael Gerson...
You and I may never be Washington Post columnists (I may never be a Washington Post blogger either because only liberals get those gigs) but we may someday enjoy the lifestyle Mr. Gerson now enjoys. I have no doubt that he sometimes is very busy with meetings and deadlines, but other times, he is lunching with his wife at Rustico.
And you and I may one day do the same thing (except, probably with your own spouse -- not Michael Gerson's -- and probably at the Wendy's across the street).
TIME just did a story making this argument. I like to believe they got it right:
Ten years ago, Facebook didn't exist. Ten years before that, we didn't have the Web. So who knows what jobs will be born a decade from now? Though unemployment is at a 25‑year high, work will eventually return. But it won't look the same. No one is going to pay you just to show up. We will see a more flexible, more freelance, more collaborative and far less secure work world. It will be run by a generation with new values - and women will increasingly be at the controls. Here are 10 ways your job will change. In fact, it already has.
In short, this is "Free Agent Nation". You and I will most likely be consulting, in some form, or another. Of course, for this to happen, it is vital we reform health care. I want to make clear that I firmly believe in health care reform -- not socialized health care (there is a difference). What's wrong with the health care system today? A lot.
But mostly I'm concerned with the fact that it discourages entrepreneurs. Our system today is actually quite un-conservative. I mean, even if you have the ability and revenue stream to be freed from the shackles of the workaday world -- you may still decide you are better off not starting that small business ... because of health care.
Really, we don't need to reform health care, rather, we need to reform the tax code (and that will fix the health care crisis).
As the NYT writes,
The tax code has layer upon layer of subsidies, deductions, exemptions and extra taxes that serve no good purpose. There is a huge exemption for employer-provided insurance, which has numbed us to the crushing cost of health care and is deeply unfair to people who must buy insurance on their own.
Fixing the tax code will mean that doctors and hospitals will have to start competing with each other. It will mean that prices will no longer be artificially high, because doctors and hospitals will have to negotiate directly with consumers, allowing free market incentives and supply and demand to actually kick-in.
Someday you, me, and Michael Gerson might all get to have lunch in Alexandria. And we won't have to worry about our bosses yelling at us. ... And I'll pay -- with the money I'm saving on health care!