Elevation

I was watching Mad Men and started tripping out on all the people who are depicted in the show as having jobs as elevator attendants-- you know, they open and close the door and push the floor buttons so other, mainly upper-middle class white people, don't have to struggle with reaching forward and pressing something.

What's tripping me out is that at some point in this country, there was enough money in this economy to hire people to do even that crappy of a job. I know it's a pretty silly job and it's not like it's necessarily needed, but somewhere along the line, all the companies that had one decided that it's a cost that needed to be cut. So where and to what did all of that saved money go to? Did it go to create more, better paying jobs? Did it go to give employees better salaries because way back in the 50's and 60's people weren't making enough? Or did it go into profits and bonuses and what not?

Hmmm........I wonder....