This is not a trivial issue and will be THE subject for US economic giants if they want to continue on a successful course. This can be somewhat ameliorated by tax incentives to firms who provide the needed cross-training for disaffected workers, along with the necessary government encouragement in the media for workers to retrain. There are so many people in this country for whom Y2K means nothing. In the aftermath of the crisis, and the resulting environment that is more competitive, the gap widens. Gated communities will raise the fences higher.
Education is the key.
We must improve our schools and rethink their role in our society. This will help to close the gap over the long term. The Littleton shooting illustrates that something more than available guns and Internet access is the problem. This will further fracture a somewhat strained situation.