re brought down drastically,
eh? Mr. Flowers, you're incredibly naive when it comes to modern
economics. Do you realize that one of the most significant developments,
economically speaking, took place in the 1950s; something perhaps more
significant than the development of atomic power?"

Flowers blinked again, mesmerized by the other's new domineering
personality. "I ... I don't know what you're talking about."

"The majority of employees in the United States turned from blue collars
to white."

Flowers looked pained. "I don't--"

"No, of course you don't or you wouldn't be participating in a
subversive attack upon our economy, which, if successful, would lead to
the collapse of Western prosperity and eventually to the success of the
Soviet Complex."

Mr. Flowers gobbled a bit, then gulped.

"I'll spell it out for you," Tracy pursued. "In the early days of
capitalism, back when Marx and Engels were writing such works as
_Capital_, the overwhelming majority of the working class were employed
directly in production. For a long time it was quite accurate when the
political cartoonists depicted a working man as wearing overalls and
carrying a hammer or wrench. In short, employees who got their hands
dirty, outnumbered those who didn't.

"But with the coming of increased mechanization and eventually
automation and the second industrial revolution, more and more employees
went into sales, the so-called service industries, advertising and
entertainment which has become largely a branch of advertising,
distribution, and, above all, government which in this bureaucratic age
is largely a matter of regulation of business and property
relationships. As automation continued, fewer and fewer of our people
were needed to produce all the commodities that the country could
assimilate under our present socio-economic system. And I need only
point out that the average American _still_ enjoys more material things
than any other nation, though admittedly the European countries, and I
don't exclude the Soviet Complex, are coming up fast."

Flowers said indignantly, "But what's this charge that I'm participating
in a subversive--"

"Mr. Flowers," Tracy overrode him, "let's not descend to pure maize in
our denials of the obvious. If this outfit of yours, Freer Enterprises,
was successful in its fondest dreams, what would happen?"

"Why, the consumers would be able to buy commodities at a fraction of
the present cost!"

Tracy ha