Posted on 04/05/2015 5:14:03 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The Robopocalypse for workers may be inevitable. In this vision of the future, super-smart machines will best humans in pretty much every task. A few of us will own the machines, a few will work a bit — perhaps providing "Made by Man" artisanal goods — while the rest will live off a government-provided income. Silicon-based superintelligence and robots will dramatically alter labor markets — to name but one example, the most common job in most U.S. states probably will no longer be truck driver.
But what about right now? If you're unemployed or working part-time instead of full-time, or haven't seen a raise in years, should you blame technology?
Yes, says venture capitalist and former Intel executive Bill Davidow. In a provocative piece for Harvard Business Review, "The Internet Has Been a Colossal Economic Disappointment," Davidow makes a strong claim: "For all its economic virtues, the internet has been long on job displacement and short on job creation. As a result, it is playing a central role in wage stagnation and the decline of the middle class."
Just look at how Amazon is disrupting brick-and-mortar retailing. And even though tech firms such as Google and Facebook generate huge revenues, they employ comparatively few people versus industrial giants of the past, such as IBM or General Motors. In the 1970s, General Motors employed more than 600,000 people, 10 times more Google and Facebook combined.
To accept Davidow's broad conclusion, though, one also has to believe workers across many sectors would be a lot better off today if the internet had not been invented. That's an unlikely counterfactual. Just look at how the labor market has been doing. The U.S. economy has generated 3.3 million jobs over the past year, the best 12-month performance since 2000.
(Excerpt) Read more at theweek.com ...
What is killing middle-class jobs in America is the simple fact that we’re IMPORTING EVERYTHING.
America needs jobs.
Americans need to buy stuff, which is made in America.
were mot only importing every THING in the way of goods. but we’re also importing foreign workers...
this is not the recipe for American Prosperity!
And exporting all the jobs.
This asshat doesn't know what he's talking about. I buy a LOT (a LOT) of stuff off Amazon. In the years I've purchased from them, probably only 1/4 to 1/3 of the items have been fulfilled directly from Amazon. The majority are from mom&pop brick and mortar stores. If you buy firearms related accessories, this comes primarily from M&P,BAM stores, actually.
America needs to lead once again.
We have for one entire generation been selling out America. Now we’ve completely destroyed the economy, of the finest country in the entire globe.
Both parties have been selling out America. Nobody is taking a stand for America even now. Our country becomes ever-less successful, and ever-more democrat. Yet both parties continue to see us out.
The GOP either needs to support AMERICAN businesses once again, or we need another party.
For real.
We need to support American businesses.
What we need to do is raise taxes on ourselves, right?
What we need to do is to make stuff once again.
Right here.
So instead of whining about it, why don't you get a job doing it?
I’m not talking about your job, or my job.
What I am talking about is America.
We spent 342 BILLION DOLLARS more buying stuff made in China last year, than China spent on stuff made in America.
Yet another record, in a long line of bad records. Yet we do nothing, to turn that situation around.
Rather, we continue to spend EVER MORE on imports. Every single year.
The GOP in particular, is completely sold out. Our party is sold out.
We need a party which stands up for American jobs.
Just sayin'.
I cant argue with that!
Well I’m not sure what business you’re in.
But you do (not) represent a majority of America’s businesses at the moment. You just don’t.
While I wholeheartedly congratulate you on working to export things, our country is not doing so. We are a very effective buyer of stuff made elsewhere.
Mostly in the Peoples Republic of China. A country by the way, which basically doesn’t allow Americans to immigrate. Unless of course, they happen to be of Chinese heritage. Then they can move there.
China is for Chinese people, and we are making it so.
We continue to further build up our competition, without building up America.
We as a country have sold out. We need to support American manufacturing once again.
America needs to manufacture things once again.
Americans need to buy stuff, which is made in America.
Don’t need to import the foreign workers when the corporations can import the work product without needing to pay an import duty.
That product can be millions of dollars of R&D updates to a computer program. It can be ad circular graphic design for grocery stores. It can be simple legal document processing or tax accounting services.
ALL of the above work is regularly handled in India for American companies these days.
The Internet did not create Seattle’s $15 minimum wage, which will likely WIPE OUT an entire class of employment.
What you say is wonderful. Unicorns and rainbows. Your solution is to raise taxes. On everyone. Stuff that nonsense.
No my solution is for Americans to make stuff right here.
America needs (badly) to re-industrialize America.
We need to stop building up China.
You haven’t mentioned tariffs for a while. What’s up with that? What happened to your plan for the 100% tariff on everything, including oil?
Look you’re trying to provoke an argument.
I understand that. But I just want everyone to understand that America is running now, a MASSIVE trade deficit with the largest country (by population) on the entire planet.
A country which doesn’t even treat Americans, the way America treats Chinese.
Say whatever you want, I say we need to build up America once again.
Our government needs to drive this. Thus far NOBODY is saying the first word, in that regard.
So the problem just gets worse, every single year.
America now is over 18 trillion in debt. Yet we continue to just buy stuff made elsewhere.
It is beyond absurd.
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