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Show pfflp j U U Herbert E. Markley Thirty years ago, George Orwell predicted what the political and social shape of the world would be in his remarkable book, "1984." Some of his more frightening forecasts, admittedly, have not yet come true: "Big Brother" docs not stare from every wall; people . have not surrendered all of their personal liberties to an all-powerful government. But Orwell's batting average to date is impressive. A study showed that by 1978, over 100 of the 137 Orwcllian predictions had come true, and were to some degree part of our everyday lives. Overwhelming government involvement in the affairs of people and diminished individual freedoms are bleak facts of modern life. How did we get here? A generation ago, there was profound con- . . the bottom line is involvement and commitment . . fidence in the American dream. Through our ability demonstrated time and time again to couple an exploding technology with cheap energy and a skilled, reliable work force, Americans felt that wc could lick any problem, and that our tomorrows would inevitably be better than our today. But some curious things happened on ihc way to Eden. Energy is no longer cheap, and government tax policy may also succeed in making it scarce. Because profits arc not large enough, investment in research and development is inadequate, and our source of great technological breakthroughs is drying up. Wc used to lead the world in productivity today, we arc no better than sixth. Sonic say that work practices common in our society are designed to hinder productivity, produc-tivity, not promote it. Yet these were the very elements of our economic system that gave to the American people the highest standard of life that the world has ever known. To the extent that our society permits and supports national policies that restrict the intelligent use of energy, restrain technology, and hamper productivity growth, wc arc collectively collec-tively pulling out from under our own feet the foundations of our success. And raging inflation to which all this contributes is a cancer that will ultimately destroy the American dream, if wc do not bring it under control. ' |