​Revolution brews on the horizon, good, and bad

A revolution is coming

​More below.

Bad news first: "Cleaner air, happier lives, higher incomes, less CO2, fewer road deaths, exurban growth, more space, more freedom, more leisure time: Autonomous vehicles, if they fulfill even a part of their promise, will do more to make this country green than all the climate NGOs put together, save more lives than Mothers Against Drunk Driving could dream of, and transform human life more than any invention since the personal computer."

Now the good: "This is bad news news for a lot of liability lawyers and insurance companies, but also for truck drivers and mechanics. Many existing lines of work will be swept up in the churn of the next transportation revolution. The disruption will be unpredictable and sometimes painful, but ultimately unleash a cascade of opportunity and prosperity beyond our wildest dreams."

Ok, there is no bad news.

This is how all change happens, and in the industrial age, change began happening fast enough for us to notice, but usually slow enough that it was only mildly dislocating. Today it happens so fast we don't even know it is happening then the change is over.

This happened first to the travel agencies, one month all was well, a few months later, all were gone, and we were booking flights online. For me this was great, for the oldsters it was not. 

What the politicians, and so many of the people do not understand is this change cannot be slowed, or stopped, it will happen. The only thing we can do is alter its effect on the individuals. Most of the time we should do only a little of this. It is much easier for public diddling with these effects to have negative outcomes than positive. 

Mead is correct, this will unleash a torrent of opportunity, and prosperity, beyond our wildest dreams. The Millennials cannot see this yet, but it will definitely change their lives, just as industrialization changed ours.

The free market system, with republican governance, substantive individual liberties, and reformed religions, or the Anglospheric Way is the reason for all of this prosperity. More please.

Before I sign off, let me make a prediction in the auto insurance market. Once we go full self drive car the market will quickly become one like the Workers Compensation system, with low costs, quick access to benefits, reasonable permanent disability, timeless payments, and no pain and suffering lottery winnings. This will make a low cost system even lower cost. This will drive the cost of auto operation even lower.

​Meaning even more opportunity, and prosperity.