Posted on 05/27/2016 7:34:53 PM PDT by huckfillary
A predictable consequence of the move to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour will be the hastened transition from human to a more robotic work-force. A photo that went viral this week showed a robot "manning" the take-out window at McDonald's. You can expect to see more of this. Employers will, of course, be pilloried by the usual cast of economically-challenged Marxists in the political and chattering classes as heartless, sexist, homophobic racists, etc., who put profits before people. But the non-economically challenged among us realize that the increased use of robots is a completely rational response of the market to government-imposed wage and benefit mandates that push the cost of labor above that which the consumer is willing to pay.
For the heck of it, I started brainstorming and prepared a list of reasons why robots, for economic and non-economic reasons, are preferable to humans as employees.
1 - they don't need health-care insurance, paid time-off, or workmen's comp;
2 - they don't call in sick; they're never late;
3 - they follow orders with no back-talk or sassing. They don't complain or "cop an attitude;"
4 - they don't get bored with repetitive tasks;
5 - they don't gossip or get involved in interoffice politics;
6 - they don't require maternity leave;
7 - they are not subject to onerous OSHA health and safety regulations;
8 - they don't file grievances or sue for civil rights violations
9 - they don't require a lengthy and expensive training process;
10 - they don't take smoke breaks, bathroom breaks, or lunch breaks
11- they don't need transgender bathrooms;
12 - they don't lobby for increases in the minimum wage;
13 - they don't stage sit-ins over working conditions;
14 - they don't celebrate Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, or Festivus requiring time off from work;
15 - they're not afraid to get their "hands dirty;"
16 - their cars never break down on the way to work;
17 - they don't require drug testing;
18 - their kids don't get sick or need day-care;
19 - they never argue with the customers;
20 - they never give the wrong change; they never steal from the company;
21 - citizenship is not an issue nor do they need security clearances;
22 - there are no language barriers; they don't have to attend ESL classes;
23 - they don't need permission to wear a burka;
24 - they can be completely illiterate and still perform their jobs flawlessly. Public education is not an issue and doesn't affect their job performance;
25 - they're never at risk for engaging in sexually inappropriate behavior.
This list is by no means exhaustive. In fact, I could go on and on. They don't need to fill out a W-2, etc., etc.... You are encouraged to submit additions to the list. My next piece on robots will be a list of positions which I believe could reasonably be filled by robots. Again, a completely rational response of the market to the increased cost of human labor largely as the result of government actions. Stay tuned and have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend. And to those clamoring for the $15 minimum wage--be careful what you wish for.
Bump in memory of, or preconception of R. Daneel Olivaw and R. Giskard Reventlov.
Or not.
I guess so long as they are not illegal robots they are ok. But just in case could we get some tariffs on imported robots? We do not want foreign robots stealing jobs by working for low wages. Only American made rbits should be used to replace American workers.
Our government is killing employment in hamburger flipping, French frying, and order taking to name a few jobs being replaced by robots. This is a government promising to kill coal and yet we beleive our steel industry needs protection from foreign steel.
Is China the true source of our problems?
You have it bass ackwards. It’s the huge already massive centralized US government that is causing the otherwise, in the absence of the aforementioned government, unnecessary adoption of robots. You have completely reversed cause and effect.
26...They don’t spit on your food!!!
They do need MAINTENANCE though. So some one with higher ed in electronics will be needed to maintain them.
The Ultra Sound machine in the PCP’s office was broken yesterday, and the 2 Techs were hauling the thing out of the office to be repaired. Manuel’s and all.
A lot of shortsighted conservatives seem to think that all the people replaced by robots will just disappear or starve to death quietly. Literally - I ask “so where do you think all those workers will go?” and I get blank stares.
Robots are being used in many industries already. The recent stories about fast food workers’ demands for $15.00 actually distorts what’s really going on because that is such a large increase at one time for a particular industry.
You have it bass ackwards. There is some breakeven wage per hour where robots become a profitable alternative in industries where they can now be utilized, and as more robots are produced, the cheaper they will become, and that advance of technology has little to do with government.
Some find the government an easy and illogical scapegoat for the negative aspect of every trend in our economy. Government’s biggest impact on employment comes as a result of immigration and work visa policies, and trade policies that reduce or eliminate import tariffs, making it even more profitable for companies to move production to cheap labor nations. Those policies directly or indirectly greatly increase the available supply of labor and drive down employee compensation, making robots less feasible to many industries.
Government has done far more to hold down worker compensation in recent decades than it has to increase it.
When a large portion of our population has no means of support, we will definitely see a bigger, more controlling central government that will be voted in by those with no means of support and their liberal allies. Various stats already tell us that about 20% of heads of household are on one or more government poverty programs. If automation and job elimination advances as predicted, the redistribution function of government will increase dramatically.
Or there will be widespread and continuous anarchy.
What SHOULD happen is the production savings should be reinvested into new industries and jobs for those workers.
But what WILL happen is the government will tax the companies’ savings and use it to increase welfare benefits instead.
So those workers will go on welfare in a shrinking economy.
Thanks to the ‘benevolence’ of their government.
Yep. some just don't want to think realistically about the impact of widespread automation and job elimination. Some are so anti-union and anti-labor that they think job elimination is something to celebrate.
They are very wrong.
So the EPA driving coal out of the country has nothing to donwith the loss of manufacturing jobs. The Mileage standards did not help decimate automotive. Sky high taxes and regulations re. employment doesn’t suppress wages and jobs. A whole host of costs incurred by governemt mandate don’t hurt a thing.
not to worry
there are tons of middleschool and highschool students in robotics clubs with lots and lots of competitive events
They are learning hands on the design and mechanical and computer skills required. they are having a great time in the process
I hope they are better than the Jr College students hubby got stuck with, his foreign students were superior to the graduates with A/B FAKE grades from Memphis who had to do his Remedial Math class before they took his Computer/Electronic class, course this was a decade ago before he retired, but the schools in Memphis haven’t changed. He had 40 years teaching Computer/Electronics, 20 yrs as career Navy (Now Ret. SCPO) and 20 yrs Jr. College as a associate Professor. Retired when he turn 66.
His daughter owns her own IT business that is very successful.
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