Show t f I r I I STAhLE By LARRY STAHLE Thought for today If U you help a man who's in trouble hell he'll never forget you especially especially especially espe espe- the next time hes he's In trouble The year 2000 no longer looms like an imaginary time in hi science fiction In fact most people 45 years old or younger have a avery avery avery very good chance of still being active by the year 2000 and beyond Its It's only about 32 years distant distant distant dis dis- tant but the changes between now and then will be spectacular in a great many ways A new study of the year 2000 supported by the American Academy Academy Academy Aca Aca- demy my of Arts and Sciences the Carnegie Corporation and the Corning Glass Works Work's Foundation Foundation Foundation tion takes more than a casual view of f what the workers of the nation and their families can anticipate anticipate anticipate an an- for the beginning of the next M Many of the projections are worth contemplating especially by those young enough to become become become be be- come socially and economically involved in what lies ahead when the century gives way to the First off family income is expected expected expected ex ex- ex- ex to be substantially higher high high- er with enough people in the upper brackets to create a kind of class those with sufficient means to lead a alife alife alife life of leisure Even those who do work may be on the job lob only four days a week and for a lot shorter day This will come as a shock to the businessman of today who is isso isso isso so pressured high-pressured that he doesn't even take time off for vacations But the study figures that by the year 2000 employees will be working days a year getting days off income will continue continue continue con con- to be the key to the degree of ones one's prosperity and level of living standards While we have seen tremendous advances in inthis inthis inthis this factor in recent years far more solid gains are likely by bythe bythe bythe the end of the century Disposable income per capita by the year 2000 may range from to Important of this forecast is that the typical family family family ly is expected to be as well off then as the relatively in high come family is today Filling up leisure time to advantage advantage advantage ad ad- vantage will be a big problem and youngsters will be encouraged encouraged encouraged aged to take up interests outside their career choices Sports music music music mu mu- sic theater and art will be widely widely widely wide wide- ly It is even implied that museums theaters and other other other oth oth- er cultural centers may be at such a premium that time will have to be rationed to make them available for all interested So much has been seen in the way of from a cash retail economy to a credit card system that the study's projection projection projection tion in this line may not be so Housewives are likely likely likely like like- ly to have pushbutton houses making wide use of computers Department stores and supermarkets supermarkets supermarkets super super- markets will accept the housewife's housewife's housewife's house house- wife's credit card by computer and the bank will pay her bills the same way Women will make makeup up a higher proportion of the la labor labor labor la- la bor force particularly in view of the availability of innumerable innumerable innumerable able pleasant time part-time jobs There will be big jumps in transportation far beyond even the supersonic jet travel already on the horizon Flying platforms could be in use for local trips even for calls on neighbors It may be easy to take a hour half-hour rocket trip to Europe Travel wardrobes as well as street wear will be largely made of paper to be thrown away after a few This is already being tried out but butwill butwill butwill will be prevalent by then Wide Vide immunization against more and more diseases will have lengthened the life span even further Health programs and dietary controls will be the frequent frequent frequent fre fre- fre- fre work-a-day work plus more quent resort to artificial or transplanted transplanted transplanted trans trans- planted organs and automatic heart devices People could be living to the age of by the year 2000 or very soon thereafter and the population of the US U.S. may well total million persons Im I'm not superstitious I think it brings bad luck |