the.world.is.flat-第78章
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competition for who can offer the most lavish safety nets。 Yes； we must address
people's fears； but we must also nurse their imaginations。 Politicians can make us
more fearful and thereby be disablers； or they can inspire us and thereby be enablers。
To be sure； it is not easy to get people passionate about the flat world。 It takes
some imagination。 President Kennedy understood that the competition with the Soviet
Union was not a space race but a science race； which was really an education race。
Yet the way he chose to get Americans excited about sacrificing and buckling down
to do what it took to win the Cold War…which required a large…scale push in science
and engineering…was by laying out the vision of putting a man on the moon； not a missile
into Moscow。 If President Bush is looking for a similar legacy project； there is one
just crying out…a national science initiative that would be our generation's moon
shot： a crash program for alternative energy and conservation to make America
energy…independent in ten years。 If President Bush made energy independence his moon
shot； in one fell swoop he would dry up revenue for terrorism； force Iran； Russia；
Venezuela； and Saudi Arabia onto the path of reform…which they will never do with
50…a…barrel oil…strengthen the dollar； and improve his own standing in Europe by
doing something huge to reduce global warming。 He would also create a real magnet
to inspire young people to
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contribute to both the war on terrorism and America's future by again becoming
scientists； engineers； and mathematicians。 〃This is not just a win…win；〃 said Michael
Mandelbaum。 〃This is a win…win…win…win…win。〃 I have consistently been struck that
my newspaper columns that have gotten far and away the most positive feedback over
the years； especially from young people； have been those that urged the president
to call the nation to this task。 Summoning all our energies and skills to produce
a twenty…first…century fuel is George W。 Bush's opportunity to be both Nixon to China
and JFK to the moon in one move。 Unfortunately for America； it appears as though I
will go to the moon before President Bush will go down this road。
Muscles
Since lifetime employment is a form of fat that a flat world simply cannot sustain
any longer； compassionate flatism seeks to focus its energy on how government and
business can enhance every worker's lifetime employability。 Lifetime employment
depends on preserving a lot of fat。 Lifetime employability requires replacing that
fat with muscle。 The social contract that progressives should try to enforce between
government and workers； and companies and workers； is one in which government and
companies say； 〃We cannot guarantee you any lifetime employment。 But we can guarantee
you that government and companies will focus on giving you the tools to make you more
lifetime employable。〃 The whole mind…setof a flat world is one in which the individual
worker is going to become more and more responsible for managing his or her own career；
risks； and economic security； and the job of government and business is to help workers
build the necessary muscles to do that。
The 〃muscles〃 workers need most are portable benefits and opportunities for lifelong
learning。 Why those two？ Because they are the most important assets in making a worker
mobile and adaptable。 As Harvard University economist Robert Lawrence notes； the
greatest single asset
that the American economy has always had is the flexibility and mobility of its labor
force and labor laws。 That asset will become even more of an advantage in the flat
world； as job creation and destruction both get speeded up。
Given that reality； argues Lawrence； it becomes increasingly important for society；
to the extent possible； to make benefits and education…the two key ingredients of
employability…as flexible as possible。 You don't want people to feel that they have
to stay with a company forever simply to keep their pension and health benefits。 The
more the workforce feels mobile …in terms of health care； pension benefits； and
lifelong learning possibilities…the more it will be willing and able to jump into
the new industries and new job niches spawned by the flat world and to move from dying
companies to thriving companies。
Creating legal and institutional frameworks for universal portability of pensions
and health care …in addition to Social Security； Medicare； and Medicaid…will help
people build up such muscles。 Today roughly 50 percent of Americans don't have a
job…based pension plan； other than Social Security。 Those who are fortunate enough
to have one cannot easily take it with them from job to job。 What is needed is one
simple universal portable pension scheme； along the lines proposed by the Progressive
Policy Institute； that would get rid of the confusing welter of sixteen different
tax…deferred options now offered by the government and consolidate them all into a
single vehicle。 This universal plan； which you would open with your first job； would
encourage workers to establish 401 （k） tax…deferred savings programs。 Each worker
and his or her employer could make contributions of cash； bonuses； profit sharing；
or stock； depending on what sorts of benefits the specific employer offered。 These
assets would be allowed to build up tax…free in whatever savings or investment
portfolio options the worker chose。 But if and when it came time to change jobs； the
worker could take the whole portfolio with him or her and not have to either cash
it out or leave it under the umbrella of the previous employer。 Rollover provisions
do exist today； but they are complicated and many workers don't take advantage of
them because of that。
The universal pension format would make rollover simple； easy； and
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expected； so pension lockup per se would never keep someone from moving from one job
to another。 Each employer could still offer his or her own specific 401 （k） benefit
plan； as an incentive to attract employees。 But once a worker moved to another job；
the investments in that particular 401 （k） would just automatically dump into his
or her universal pension account。 With each new job； a new 401 （k） could be started；
and with each move； the benefits deposited in that same universal pension account。
In addition to this simple； portable； and universal pension program； Will Marshall；
president of the Progressive Policy Institute； proposes legislation that would make
it much easier and more likely for workers to obtain stock options in the companies
for which they work。 Such legislation would give tax incentives to companies to give
more workers more options earlier and penalize companies that do not。 Part of making
workers more mobile is creating more ways to make more workers owners of financial
assets； not just their own labor。 〃We want a public that sees itself as stakeholders；
sharing in the capital…creating side of the flat world； not just competing in global
labor markets/' argued Marshall。 〃We all have to be owners as well as wage earners。
That is where public policy has to be focused…to make sure that people have
wealth…producing assets as they enter the twenty…first century； the way homeownership
accomplished that in the twentieth century。〃
Why？ Because there is an increasing body of literature that says people who are
stakeholders； people who have a slice of the pie； 〃are more deeply invested in our
system of democratic capitalism and the policies thatkeep itdynamic；〃 said Marshall。
It is another way； besides home…ownership； to underpin the legitimacy of democratic
capitalism。 It is also another way to energize it； because workers who are also owners
are more productive on the job。 Moreover； in a flat world where every worker is going
to face suffer competition； the more opportunities everyone has to build wealth
through the power of markets and compounding interest； the more he or she will be
able to be self…reliant。 We need to give workers every stabilizer we can and make
it as easy for them to get stock options as it is for the plutocrats。 Instead of j
