Income Inequality

[Martin Hash]

Is peanut butter and jelly a right? (Is eating a right?)

Interestingly, you can't go anyplace and demand food, so, eating is not a Right.

[Martin Hash]

That isn't the only thing I would call work... but if that is the work on offer and I get to choose one option from two less than ideal states... gimme horse.

You're really inspiring me to write an article on how a generation with unparalleled opportunity, unfettered direct access to consumers, unfettered access to interested investors, and historically high education see themselves as oppressed victims who should probably receive free money.

I'm not talking about you personally (as I think you're an older guy like myself), but I'm talking about the mindset. We're in an era right now where race, gender sex, and religion mater LESS than EVER in the economy - and our whole society is consumed with identity politics, playing victim, and demanding free money to ward off phantom threats.

When you look at the situation objectively you begin to fathom just how irrational human beings are.

It's staggering.

Quotable.

[Hanarchy Montanarchy]

That isn't the only thing I would call work... but if that is the work on offer and I get to choose one option from two less than ideal states... gimme horse.

You're really inspiring me to write an article on how a generation with unparalleled opportunity, unfettered direct access to consumers, unfettered access to interested investors, and historically high education see themselves as oppressed victims who should probably receive free money.

I'm not talking about you personally (as I think you're an older guy like myself), but I'm talking about the mindset. We're in an era right now where race, gender sex, and religion mater LESS than EVER in the economy - and our whole society is consumed with identity politics, playing victim, and demanding free money to ward off phantom threats.

When you look at the situation objectively you begin to fathom just how irrational human beings are.

It's staggering.

I don't disagree with any of that... but to assume that current automation will have no more effect than the switch from agriculture to industry seems like a leap.

Agriculture skills could translate to relatively low skilled industrial work in a way that current low skill work doesn't translate to a near fully automated industry. It might not be a problem, but it might be, and it is interesting to imagine how to solve that problem. Now, sure, you could say "hey layabouts, get engineering degrees and learn how to program, but if everybody is doing that, it will drive down the value of those skills, and automation will start to push them out eventually as well.

Who is or isn't lazy and entitled isnt really the point.

[C-Mag]

There is a fair amount of income inequality in Welfare, here are the best and worst states to NOT work in.

Wow look at Hawaii! We need to send those figures to all the mooches in the country. Then maybe they'll head to the CA shoreline and try to row small boats to get there and all die on the way. Boom Welfare system is fixed!

Some of those number are fricking amazing. $29 an hour on welfare
Single Mom's got to be bringing in near $100K a year.

[C-Mag]

That isn't the only thing I would call work... but if that is the work on offer and I get to choose one option from two less than ideal states... gimme horse.

You're really inspiring me to write an article on how a generation with unparalleled opportunity, unfettered direct access to consumers, unfettered access to interested investors, and historically high education see themselves as oppressed victims who should probably receive free money.

I'm not talking about you personally (as I think you're an older guy like myself), but I'm talking about the mindset. We're in an era right now where race, gender sex, and religion mater LESS than EVER in the economy - and our whole society is consumed with identity politics, playing victim, and demanding free money to ward off phantom threats.

When you look at the situation objectively you begin to fathom just how irrational human beings are.

It's staggering.

+1

Do it DB, that's and article I want to read.

[DBTrek]

I don't disagree with any of that... but to assume that current automation will have no more effect than the switch from agriculture to industry seems like a leap.

Agriculture skills could translate to relatively low skilled industrial work in a way that current low skill work doesn't translate to a near fully automated industry. It might not be a problem, but it might be, and it is interesting to imagine how to solve that problem. Now, sure, you could say "hey layabouts, get engineering degrees and learn how to program, but if everybody is doing that, it will drive down the value of those skills, and automation will start to push them out eventually as well.

Who is or isn't lazy and entitled isnt really the point.

Keep in mind that *if* the monumental labor switch occurs in our lifetime, we'll have the benefit of being the first generation that can market goods and services directly to the public via the internet. While people are still complaining about the old paradigm of gatekeepers holding down people based on demographics or insular "good old boy club" politics the internet has proven that this complaint is hogwash.

Dollars don't care whether you're black, gay, Muslim, blind, or left handed. Dollars just want to go to where they achieve the best value. So *ANYONE* can market their own set of skills, their own line of products, or their own entertainment abilities to everyone else *in the world* via the internet. This is monumental. This is unprecedented. This is something no other humans have ever had before.

And how are most of us capitalizing on this opportunity?
Telling horror stories about a "maybe" future AI threat that *might* displace some professions. Caterwauling about how we all need free money form the government to weather this maybe-someday threat.

Ridiculous.

[Martin Hash]

Yeah, the Internet's the answer, that's why there's so many competitors to Amazon, Google & Facebook. The Internet reflects The 1% just like society does because it has the same rules.

[DBTrek]

Yeah, the Internet's the answer, that's why there's so many competitors to Amazon, Google & Facebook. The Internet reflects The 1% just like society does because it has the same rules.

Every online store is a competitor to Amazon, every online social gathering place is a competitor to FaceBook. YouTube has created countless entertainment careers and made several millionaires. Uber took cell phones and people with cars and paired them together to build a whole new industry that was quickly emulated by Lyft, and modified to create new services like Air BnB. If you're not seeing people of all kinds making livings off the internet then you're simply not paying close attention.

[Hanarchy Montanarchy]

I don't disagree with any of that... but to assume that current automation will have no more effect than the switch from agriculture to industry seems like a leap.

Agriculture skills could translate to relatively low skilled industrial work in a way that current low skill work doesn't translate to a near fully automated industry. It might not be a problem, but it might be, and it is interesting to imagine how to solve that problem. Now, sure, you could say "hey layabouts, get engineering degrees and learn how to program, but if everybody is doing that, it will drive down the value of those skills, and automation will start to push them out eventually as well.

Who is or isn't lazy and entitled isnt really the point.

Keep in mind that *if* the monumental labor switch occurs in our lifetime, we'll have the benefit of being the first generation that can market goods and services directly to the public via the internet. While people are still complaining about the old paradigm of gatekeepers holding down people based on demographics or insular "good old boy club" politics the internet has proven that this complaint is hogwash.

Dollars don't care whether you're black, gay, Muslim, blind, or left handed. Dollars just want to go to where they achieve the best value. So *ANYONE* can market their own set of skills, their own line of products, or their own entertainment abilities to everyone else *in the world* via the internet. This is monumental. This is unprecedented. This is something no other humans have ever had before.

And how are most of us capitalizing on this opportunity?
Telling horror stories about a "maybe" future AI threat that *might* displace some professions. Caterwauling about how we all need free money form the government to weather this maybe-someday threat.

Ridiculous.

The Internet has also created a paradigm where consumers expect to get a lot of content for free.

It has created unprecedented opportunity, but it has also driven down the value of content. Removing gatekeepers is a double edged sword.

Same problem occurs if, instead of becoming engineers or programmers, everyone runs to the Internet to hock their what-have-yous.

All of the sudden, advertisers can start offering less, and let the then let the race to the bottom begin.

[Martin Hash]

Somebody wake me when The Internet makes me rich... Jesus Christ, half a dozen venture capitalists hit long balls & that's supposed to translate to solving the job shortage problem? Red herring.