In 2012, 30% of the US lived from paycheck to paycheck. Today, it is 40%. The percentage of people on food stamps has never been higher. Participation in labor markets is at a 36 year low. Job retaining usually doesn't accomplish much as many ex-auto workers can tell you.
I don't like redistribution of income but there won't be any alternative once jobs disappear. The current strength of the dollar could trigger radical change suddenly because it could wipe out US exports - and the last trade deficit reading was bad, even with oil imports in decline. It is these export industries that offered hope of good paying jobs - unlike the recent increase in part-time/minimum wage employment that fluffs up jobs reports. Pretending that things will just muddle along somehow could be dangerous as the US has drifted towards becoming a police state in recent years and economic upheaval that is unprepared for might make things worse. -----Original Message----- From: Craig Haynie [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2014 12:34 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Vo]:OT: what if everybody got free cash? You have a prediction that there will be a high rate of unemployment, but these sorts of predictions started in the late 1800s with the expansion of industry. Now you're proposing a solution for this prediction, and believe that any opposition to this solution "does not make sense." But you wouldn't try to solve any other problem in this way. You wouldn't take a prediction based on loose science, and try to solve a problem which does not yet exist. Moreover, your solution requires taking money from people without their consent. So there is no way that someone opposed to your prediction, and your solution, could opt-out. I sympathize with your desire to try to solve an unrealized problem, but ask that you do not include those who disagree with your assessment of the problem, and your proposed solution. Craig On 12/09/2014 06:06 PM, a.ashfield wrote: > I have been writing about the coming high rate of permanent > unemployment that I expect. An unconditional income to everyone is > one the few ideas that shows promise. I was surprised to see that a > large experiment has actually been carried out in India and the > results are fascinating. > Whether that will apply to a more developed country remains to be > seen. Switzerland voted it down quite recently. I expect the major > difficulty here to try it would be the GOP, but logically that does > not make sense. > > Thanks for linking the video. > > Adrian Ashfield
