Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Kapture1]

Good grief.Just watched Ocasio-Cortez on Trevor Noah's show -- who, obviously, fetes her. But holy fuck...."How are you going to pay for all this shit?" .....



The New Face of The Democratic Party

She's proven it on several occasions, that her degree in economics is as useful as one of those little prizes that use to come in a box of cereal.

But the key of persuasion is that facts don't matter. It is, in absolute sincerity, why there is a president Trump.

[Kapture1]

"Most of her ideas you could get the tax payers to pay for. The rest the government would pick up."


We may be doomed as a country.

[Kapture1]

I see Mayor Rudy has now moved on to the "There's nothing wrong with colluding with the Russians" line of defense. We all knew it would get there eventually, but this is quicker than I expected.

Because the argument the left would make is one of conspiracy. There is no such thing as conspiracy if the event isn't a crime.

[AlabamAlum]

Automation will take a huge chunk of unskilled labor jobs. It's getting cheaper and cheaper. In my own house, I have a machine that automatically vacuumes, sweeps, and mops. My yard waters itself. My neighbor has a robot lawn mower. Hospitals are using robots to deliver meds and supplies to units. You go to Wal-Mart and there are more self check-outs than cashiers, and see what's happening at McDonald's:

https://youtu.be/OkJ17zG6Wg4

I recently flew to a conference. Checked in and got my boarding pass without talking to anyone and went to a similar kiosk to pick pick up my rental. We will always need some unskilled labor, but their numbers will be declining sharply. The more pressure we put on business in artificially inflating unskilled labor's wages, the more fiscal sense it makes for automation.

The Wal-Mart or Burger King job should be considered a stepping stone job, not a job to comfortably provide for a family of four on.

[iam416]

She's proven it on several occasions, that her degree in economics is as useful as one of those little prizes that use to come in a box of cereal.

But the key of persuasion is that facts don't matter. It is, in absolute sincerity, why there is a president Trump.

As I was watching her spit out one absurd falsity after another when pressed on detail, that very thought occurred to me. Facts don't matter. She is the #GentryProg PDJT. And they love her.

I mean, her line on the defense budget is staggeringly stupid (and, of course, Trevor Noah ate it up).

[iam416]

Automation will take a huge chunk of unskilled labor jobs.

So, the logical follow-on to the Democratic Socialist "living wage" is to require that companies employ a certain number of actual humans and to set that amount by various sector.

In certain professions that is probably in place. Certainly with us lawyers.But as AI technology continues to progress and offer, e.g., more efficient ways to read medical imaging, there will be both professional hurdles and regulatory hurdles in place to, at least, slow that down.

Food service? Not so much -- at least, not until Ocasio-Cortez and her party rise to power.

[AlabamAlum]

So, the logical follow-on to the Democratic Socialist "living wage" is to require that companies employ a certain number of actual humans and to set that amount by various sector.

In certain professions that is probably in place. Certainly with us lawyers.But as AI technology continues to progress and offer, e.g., more efficient ways to read medical imaging, there will be both professional hurdles and regulatory hurdles in place to, at least, slow that down.

Food service? Not so much -- at least, not until Ocasio-Cortez and her party rise to power.

Correct. And then the inflation hits. A Big Mac is $4 or so (guessing, not much of a fast food guy).

If you double their wages, who pays for it? Stockholders and business owners are still going to get their ROI or close. What happens is that $4 Big Mac is now $7 - as well as everything else you buy and that artifically increased wage doesn't have the buying power they need. So, the answer for the Ocasio- Cortez crowd will be to raise it again and to print more banknotes.


I chuckled when reading that a cup of coffee cost 2,000,000 Bolivars in Venezuela now. I wish it could be taken for the cautionary tale it is.

[iam416]

I find myself in complete agreement with a person "educated" by cajun witch doctors and voluntarily residing in Mississippi's Gemini. I should rethink things. Or change the topic. So, how's this Russia shit going these days?

[AlabamAlum]

Mississippi's Gemini? Heh. I mean...Bastard...

[Kapture1]

Think on this headline for a min.

qp5k-q4C7PozTIdJxwhyFmN7-_sCiPjFEBFQ2lnLC_U.jpg?w=664&s=ec3fced1e6861109f9fd6e67f2099eab.jpg

[hack]

Stockholders and business owners are still going to get their ROI or close.

Until the pitchforks come out. No matter your values, ethics or understanding of economics, human history under any system of political organization demonstrates that capital pools and ends up in the hands of few, and then masses of people get fed up with the inequality, and there is change. Capital is dispersed, new people take charge, and the capital starts to pool again. It's a cycle. The question at this point is how long it will take in the US. Sometimes those with capital can stave off the pitchforks for quite a while, and in the American system they are doing an excellent job with that.

[Kapture1]

to figure out why, you must ask what makes America different (I would argue better) than any other nation.

[AlabamAlum]

And, my final post on artifically raising unskilled labor wages: along with all the macro economic devastation, you take away (for some) the desire to improve one's station through hard work, entrepreneurship, or education. Some would then view that unskilled labor job as a destination or terminal career. Why go to school (college is hard!) or take a leap and open a business (risky!) if everything is economically copacetic making burritos at Taco Bell.

[iam416]

The American system, and its exceptionalism, will do an excellent job of continuing to embrace liberal ideals. There will be some bumps -- the leftwing nutjobs are going to win big in 2018/20 -- but they'll get corrected.

Such a great country.

[iam416]

And, my final post on artifically raising unskilled labor wages: along with all the macro economic devastation, you take away (for some) the desire to improve one's station through hard work, entrepreneurship, or education. Some would then view that unskilled labor job as a destination or terminal career. Why go to school (college is hard!) or take a leap and open a business (risky!) if everything is economically copacetic making burritos at Taco Bell.

First, that will not be your final post on the topic.

Second, correct. The tension is (and will continue to be) between equality of opportunity and equality of outcome. Fortunately, the former is so ingrained in the our collective spirit that it's not going anywhere. The latter, of course, is, for some of the reasons you've stated, the prescription for economic doom that Ocasio-Cortez and her ilk eventually want.