This past Friday, on the floor of congress, he made a bizarre speech that attempted to put the iPad at the heart of the unemployment problem. He also mentioned that he had recently purchased one of these evil job-killing machines.
Huh?
Hypocrisy aside, this has got to be one of the most ridiculous, nonsensical examples of just how out of touch congress is with reality.
Yes, the iPad (along with other digital readers) may be responsible for eliminating some jobs in the publishing industry. But this is kind of like getting pissed off at toothpaste for killing jobs in the false teeth industry.
It's called progress. And it's a bit disappointing that a so-called progressive like Mr. Jackson would not understand this.
The iPad has already unleashed a flurry of economic activity in it's brief history. No, the device itself is not made here in America. Nothing is made here in America. But there are countless developers, writers, artists, musicians and more who have already begun to use the iPad as a platform for their creativity. These ideas, apps, songs, etc. would never have existed without the iPad.
Even old-school magazine publishers have started churning out amazing content. Check out Esquire or Wired for some great examples.
And we are really just scratching the surface at this point. As more players enter the marketplace, the possibilities for creative development will grow exponentially.
So please, Mr. Jackson, stop lamenting the loss of jobs in industries that were already dying and start focusing on the bigger picture. Your constituents are not served by empty promises of a return to the past. You need to embrace the future and figure out how to apply progressive principles in a way that will ensure more people share in the spoils of this latest technological revolution.
Unemployment is a serious issue. But if you want people to listen to your ideas on how to address the problem, you need to act in a serious manner.
Ignoring reality is not a good place to start.
Honestly, I see his point. The damn car was to fault for the loss of the beloved horse-drawn carriage. Think of all the horses who were jobless as a result.
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