If every citizen owned an equal share of every major corporation, all those profits wouldn't be concentrated in the hands of the few, and unnecessary competition would cease to be an issue. Additionally, the interests of the shareholders would then be aligned with the interests of the customers, meaning corporations would no longer be expected to screw their customers in favor of their shareholders. (Imagine the effect on advertising!) Furthermore, as jobs are automated away, the dividends to all would smoothly increase due to the cost savings, acting as social welfare without the need for government intervention, the proverbial robbing of Peter to pay Paul.
It's called the cooperative business model, and it has all the benefits of the capitalist model and the socialist model combined, without their flaws. Your neighborhood credit union is one, and it probably was established during the Great Depression to deal with the monetary woes that came from the last great wave of automation, when people stopped working on farms. But currently cooperatives aren't universal. I'd like to see a universal cooperative, one whose sole basis for an ownership share is citizenship. I think this is probably the only way to smoothly transition from our current economic model into one that's both efficient and fair. On Fri, Dec 28, 2012 at 11:04 PM, just camel <[email protected]> wrote: > Because in a competitive environment which _requires_ exponential economic > growth you get all the problems we are facing today. You just ignore > technological unemployment and social asymmetries that get bigger and > bigger. Today only a few people benefit from robots/AI and millions suffer > because this socioeconomic framework does not provide them with the > necessities of life once their job is no longer required to due higher > efficiency/automation. Do you suggest that all the millions of people > working at McDonalds will find new jobs in AGI R&D? Why do the most > intelligent people on this planet have such a hard time to think outside > the box when it comes to economics? > > > On 01/08/2013 01:19 PM, Matt Mahoney wrote: > >> I fail to see why people get upset over the prospects of robots doing >> their work for them, and the economic growth, freedom, and improved >> living conditions that go along with it. >> >> -- >> -- Matt Mahoney, [email protected] >> >> >> ------------------------------**------------- >> AGI >> Archives: >> https://www.listbox.com/**member/archive/303/=now<https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now> >> RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/**member/archive/rss/303/** >> 23508161-fa52c03c<https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/23508161-fa52c03c> >> >> Modify Your Subscription: >> https://www.listbox.com/**member/?&;<https://www.listbox.com/member/?&;> >> Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com >> > > > > ------------------------------**------------- > AGI > Archives: > https://www.listbox.com/**member/archive/303/=now<https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now> > RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/**member/archive/rss/303/** > 23050605-2da819ff<https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/23050605-2da819ff> > Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/** > member/?&id_**secret=23050605-53e85d0d<https://www.listbox.com/member/?&;> > Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com > ------------------------------------------- AGI Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/21088071-f452e424 Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=21088071&id_secret=21088071-58d57657 Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
