The downfall of the middle class comes from creating a more "global" economy. Trade agreements like NAFTA spread the wealth to places like mexico and took it right out of our pockets.
How this idea is dealt with various so much country by country, so I guess the effects of the eventual mass-mechanisation of many industries by 2040 or so will really have to wait to be seen.
There's various ideas about how to deal with it, from a basic income for citizens (like Switzerland is voting on in June) to regulating industries for quotas of actual human beings etc.
It's problematic because most corporations pretty much have no responsibility (or desire for much) about society, and as such will embrace cost cutting mechanisation when it comes along. I mean you have entire factories even now with no lighting or heating etc as everything in it is a machine line, saving loads of money for said companies.
Basically, it's going to be pretty interesting how places deal with it (as it's only increasing) and these approaches will likely vary. It's also not something you can politicize as the fault of the right or the left, as the reasoning behind it is pretty much just profit based among non political (in theory) entities. That being said some of the approaches to deal with it will inevitably swing towards the right or left, which is why these will probably differ quite a lot depending on where they are.
Seems a bit reductionist, TI. There are legitimate concerns about raising the minimum wage. FiveThirtyEight did a nice article about it not too long ago that basically said "it depends" to the question. There are areas in CA that have already implemented it, and by and large it's been a good thing. But there are socioeconomicl factors in those areas that don't apply across the spectrum. I don't want to say more than I remember. I'll try to find the article.
In any case, the march of technology will eliminate some jobs and create others regardless of minimum wage. I see the two as being more unrelated than the OP implies.
Unemployment has been higher at numerous points throughout the last century or so, though. Prediction is always tricky at best, but the sky isn't falling just yet.
"What you've seen" is fairly inadmissible in anything resembling a thorough discussion. To be fair, what I've seen is just as inadmissible. But your claim requires more extrapolation before it can be regarded as anything other than an incremental movement toward page 2 of this thread.
As it is, from what I've read (the FiveThirtyEight article I linked is a good start, but far from everything), I'm cautiously pessimistic about a sweeping, one-size-fits-all approach to upping the minimum wage. I personally no longer have a stake in it either, so it's hard to be too passionate about it. On the one hand, I do know it would help some desperate people (at least in the short-term). But there's nothing resembling a consensus of its benefit even among more liberal economists, and I fear it wouldn't have the geographic nuance required to work more places than not.
Raising the minimum wage raises the wages of uneducated low skill workers who are usually teens or early 20s. They tend to be the most reckless with their spending as well.
This raises prices and new products tend to be produced and readily available when the minimum wage is raised. The money inevitably goes into the hands of the rich business owners in exchange for a better quality of life (at least, that's the theory anyway).
What does this mean for the middle class? Higher taxes.
A rise in minimum wage and a rise in prices would also mean a rise in welfare due to economic problems, and since the rich business owners are the ones who know how to loophole or leave, those taxes are taken from the middle class. But this affects those in the high tax brackets where the new graduate simply works on a similar wage to the non graduate despite doing a higher skilled job. They will however have enough hours worked to be eligible for tax and will in fact move up the ladder giving more tax money.
Raising the minimum wage is a more heartwarming way of saying inflation and taxes, which affects the middle class the most and anyone who supports it needs to consider the after affects of all groups.
This is actually false. I think the medium age of workers that would be effected by a minimum wage hike to 15/hour is 33 or 35 years old... not low 20s and teens.
I hate the idea that people should have to work for shit wages (and often for ridiculously long hours) if they want to keep their crappy, unfulfilling jobs, that's not how it should work in this country.
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That's kinda my point in regards to what I said as well as what you said. I understand the emotional benefit of it but the long term economical benefit (at least in my understanding of basic economic principles) cannot be positive. Using simplistic economics, if wages go up, prices go up. If prices go up, sales go down/profits go down/people get laid off. Imagine paying MCD's workers $15 an hour. What would happen to the price of their meals? The $1 meals are gone. The lower class may or may not be able to afford MCDs anymore or would probably choose a cheaper alternative. Aside from "helping employees", I don't see a long term economic benefit to this. We saw a wonderful example of this with a Seattle firm, although one can argue that the implementation was poor to begin with. Unless the higher ups are willing to take a long term pay cut (and some people obviously might), it doesn't seem like workable thing, at least the way it's set up now.
The liberals and Suto Intellectuals in Silicon Valley are providing technology to businesses to replace the worker as wages go up, businesses will just replace their staff with more robotics offered by the tech industry.
Built by San Francisco-based Momentum Machines, this robotic burger maker is designed to do the work of three full-time kitchen staff. The current alpha version of the machine grinds, stamps, and grills patties (made to order), then cuts and layers lettuce, onions, pickles, and tomatoes before slapping everything on a bun and wrapping it to go. The only human labor involved is that needed to take the customer's money and hand over the completed burger.
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Last edited by Time-Immemorial on May 22nd, 2016 at 05:50 PM
Oh please you can't put the blame entirely on the 'liberals and 'pseudo' intellectuals'.
Mechanization of the workforce has been happening for decades. Sure it may be speeding up now, but it's hardly the fault of liberals. Businesses want to make money, people want technology to progress, this technology allows businesses to make more money to research more technology.
It's capitalism in action. Blaming left wing people for technological progress is entirely framing it to follow your narrative.
Especially if you take the idea that mechanization and automation are inevitable, getting employers to pay their employees a decent living wage whilst they still have employees is admirable no?
I don't think anyone is lying about automation etc, but a lot of people consider them separate (but related) issues to the minimum wage etc.
So the average low wage worker, the prime target for democrates and liberals are in the know about the upcoming robotization of America.
I dont think so.
They are concerned about taking care of their family. So the liberals tell them we are going to raise you wages, but in the smoky cigar filled rooms with brandy and fine scotch, the power brokers and social capitalist have a different idea for the world. Do you really think people like Hilary care about the American people? No they dont.
Try to understand, while America meaning goverment America liberals wants to import low wage foriegn workers into America for votes, they are exporting Jobs through NAFTA (Hilarys Husband signed into law} and TPP {Hilary Supported before she was against it) and putting the factories in other countrys.
The Jobs here don't exist anymore. There is little manufacturing left, America is being run by far left pajamaboy intellectuals who went to harvard and then went into government doing what they were taught by far left liberals in school.
The American economy is producing fewer and fewer jobs.
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Last edited by Time-Immemorial on May 22nd, 2016 at 06:11 PM
I'd like to see the evidence behind the claim that companies developing robotic technology and more so those companies who will utilise robotic technology to replace their unskilled, minimum wage employees are all run by lefties.
I just punched my toaster in the face just now..just to get back it for potentially stealing jobs in the future. That'll teach that machine, I have no patience for brave little toasters.
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