Barach Obama says Democrats need to get smarter about tech taking jobs
Web Publication: Recode, by Eric Johnson
Worthy mention
As a staunch critic of Obama, I’ve had very little to recommend about his presidency and his legacy, but this interview, apparently made as he was leaving office is one thing that I can recommend, in part. Here are the reasons: He mentioned the coming jobs [apocalypse] due to automation, and at the same time, suggests solutions – not all of which I agree with, but he also ties it into the ‘dignity of work’, an important and oft overlooked factor. These are rarely encompassed in the same article or discussion so far, but you can bet they will be soon. Kudos for being ahead of the curve here.
There are some problems buried in the proposed solutions. Applying old Democrat solutions to new problems is simplistic at best and quite flawed depending how it’s applied. Unionization? Sure; your basically negotiating against machines. Let me know how that works out for ya. Higher minimum wage? This is already accelerating the inevitable. It’s not a solution; it’s part of the problem when it comes to the issue of automation. I do think there are instances where it may play a role in overall worker prospects but thinkers are going to need to get a lot more savvy about when and how its applied. Obama’s solutions are basically just cloaked socialism.
The Trump administration is going backwards in time to try and solve the jobs situation. Ironically, it’s also a form of socialism. If you’re a big manufacturer, you can expect to be bullied into creating or repatriating factories and jobs even if it doesn’t make the most business sense. Corporations are complying as the ‘cost of doing business’ with the Trump administration. It’s their payoff to the extortionist. Quite frankly, this may work as a temporary fix and may perhaps sustain jobs for much of the next four years. However, it ‘s also the projected timeline for the bottom to fall out of the jobs market due to automation, particularly starting with multiple transportation industries.
I obviously don’t have comprehensive solutions but here are a few broad areas to start looking: Tax what you don’t want and don’t tax what you want more of. Radically reform burdens on the smallest of businesses to encourage thriving micro economies. In fact, this…Micro Economies; let this concept get stuck in your head. Eliminate double FICA taxation on individuals that are totally self-employed. This is a good start but I’ll add one more thing and save elaboration for later: Your average super-rich corporation and local capitalism have very little in common. Heretofore, these have been conceptually indistinguishable. New definitions need to be established.
