What To Do About The Long-Term Implications of Automation

If you're competing with illegals for jobs, you should consider going back to school. I learned welding through a years worth of night classes (twice a week) for $2000. Right now it's a hobby, but will soon be my retirement job. For someone younger, it offers a great way to earn money on a good job. Other VoTech classes might also help.

http://www.pewhispanic.org/2016/11/03/occupations-of-unauthorized-immigrant-workers/

 

Sure glad we kept all those telephone switchboard operators and didn't automate communications.

 

That is true.
However, it is just as true about the system overall, because we are the ones who shape it by our choices, our values, our objectives.
Government is a not an entity totally separate from the American people- it is like an extension of our will (or lack of it) that is operated by people who often confuse power and duty for opportunity and self-interests. We are the ones that permit this.

Automation is not a curse or a crisis, it's a huge benefactor to the quality of life- but while it provides us more, it also forces us to adjust, and part of that is turning to new challenges which we have more time for because we are freed from more labor intensive things. Think of all the incredible things that have happened in this century- We went from laughing at the idea that man could fly, to walking on the moon. Then compare these accomplishments to what was accomplished in the century before, then the one before that. The standard of living is rapidly accelerating, almost exponentially. Opportunity is everywhere, yet we still see most people can't recognize it or take advantage of it.

If everyone took responsibility for one person- everyone would be cared for. Granted, that takes a responsible, strong person- but nothing beyond what we are capable of. Once we start letting that slide and expect others to do it for us, we loose some of the spirit and challenge of life that makes up and keeps us strong. Some will never accept that, but others do so with open arms. Bottom line- it is up to us, individually and then collectively to make our world work. We can if we want to. It starts with doing it for yourself- being the example for children, for others.

IF we blow it, it will indeed be our own fault.

 

It's unfortunate you must resort to racial slurs...shows your ignorance.

Americans can't have more money...the jobs pay what the jobs pay.

Why do I want prices to rise just because a bunch of people refuse to acquire skills and education to seek better paying jobs?

Most Americans who are whining about wages and employments are not physically and/or mentally fit to get better jobs.

Doesn't move anyone from welfare? All people who function on the bottom rungs of the economy and society will always need assistance.

No one needs to be 'sent' home...you should just worry about yourself...

 

Nothing that you have said changes how I feel about industry. Except for the rare occasion in which government needs to regulate something in the private sector in order to protect fraud or some other evil deeds, government needs to get out of the way of industry! Government meddling never solves anything. It won't solve wage disparity, won't solve wealth, won't solve poverty, etc. etc. Industry IS NOT responsible for these things...government and society is responsible. If workers cannot afford shelter then government needs to provide affordable shelter...not industry. If workers need health care then government should provide it. Leave industry alone!

My comment was both a statement and a question; You can't simply create lower skilled jobs? This is both my statement and a question to you how you plan to achieve this? Maybe you have a way to achieve this that I'm not aware of therefore I leave the question open to you...

 

The asinine position of never taking responsibility for anything.

Instead of your insults how about telling us who makes all the decisions for a person? Well, the one making ALL of the decisions needs to take responsibility or be left wanting.

 

Very rare for voters to force change in Congress...very rare so this is not going to happen.

You still don't get it; It's not industry's job to worry about poverty or wage disparity or wealth. No one is 'allowed to make enough'. In fact, you can't even quantify how much is enough? Whatever it is that PEOPLE need, beyond the compensation they receive for working, is a government problem...not industry. Society/government has failed to do this! We live in the best nation on Earth and instead of a kick-ass infrastructure we have a crumbling infrastructure. We don't have efficient and affordable public transit. We don't have universal health care. We are not developing smart young adults out of the education system. Fail...Fail...Fail...Fail...all society and government failure! And part of this failure is driving industry out of the US...

 

Ok, for the sake of argument suppose we do

To me that demands a zero immigration policy and the deportation of everyone here illegally

Starting immediately

Otherwise you are looking at a much great Great Depression than you think we are

Agreed?

 

Abolish the minimum wage, subsidize productive unskilled labor, and provide minimum humane subsistence support for those who are able to work but choose not to. Instant full employment.

 

And if you dont go to school you should have to do the same dirty heavy lifting that the illegal aliens are doing instead of getting welfare

And we make room or you by deporting the illegal aliens and kicking you off the dole

 

I would rather let the free market provide the wage increase freely

To me that means deporting foreign workers and forcing able bodied Americans off welfare

Wages will reflect what employers have to pay to attract American workers after the illegals are deported

 

If you want workers to earn a living wage then you also want prices to rise

I dont want to reward lazy people for not getting a better education by letting them lay around drawing welfare while the shoeless illegal aliens do all the work

 

They use it to live on

 

Given the failure of the education system millions of unskilled workers are probably worth less than $3/hr to the kind of potential employers who might hire them starting out. If we want them to live, keep working and eventually thrive I think they will have to be subsidized initially. IMO, subsidizing productive workers is not a problem. Subsidizing the able and idle is a big problem.

 

that comes under the false assumption uneducated and unskilled Americans are lazy and stupid, and must be molded by their educated or intelligent betters to pursue happiness in the way that they do.

all Americans are willing to put forth an effort for their own happiness, they do not need to be told how and why to do it. it is only when they lose their right to consent do they pursue happiness negatively.

good rich people like our President have given them the freedom of choice, a high standard of living with lower skilled busy work instead of education. these are the people who do not want a higher standard of living from the generous welfare of bernie sanders, or the forced education of democrats and republicans.

lastly a 'minimum standard of living' is the greatest evil that mankind has ever thought of in its wildest dreams, and has caused all of the bad things America has ever produced.

 

So you think you should just be given money because you're a citizen? Interesting.

 

It is not hardworking Americans who are making the decisions to withhold well deserved pay increases from their salaries.

That responsibility lies entirely with the greedy 1% who are pocketing that money they never earned and keeping it all for themselves.

 

Crumbling infrastructure is a direct result of GOP taxcuts depriving Americans of their tax dollars being used to maintain the infrastructure and putting that money directly into the pockets of the avaricious 1%.

 

So living in cardboard boxes under bridges and begging in the streets for food is not inhumane in the least because it would be the "greatest evil" to provide our less fortunate fellow Americans with a place to live indoors and food to eat? Jesus must have been lying when he said; "For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in". Matthew 25:36.

 

they help themselves more than the 'less fortunate' they pride themselves on helping.

the others are honest about not caring, which gives them the moral high ground.

those cardboard boxes will always be a monument for the two ruling powers.

 

What are you talking about?

I think illegal aliens should be deported

at the same time able bodied Americans should be thrown off welfare and forced to take the jobs illegals are doing now

 

Who are "they" and who are the "others" that you are referencing in that response?

 

Sounds like something that happened during WW2 in Europe and here in the USA both before and after WW2.