Reply to Dockworker’s strike

Forum Index » Political Discussion

Reply to "Dockworker’s strike"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]The automation thing got me thinking, kind of in tandem with an NPR discussion of major leaps in US policy history (FDR and LBJ--pointing out that although the right has long painted the Great Society as having destroyed the social and economic fabric, all of the things that have been made possible as a result, including the Black Woman interviewee born in 1964 having been able to go to college, get and advanced degree, and work in the WH--something in economic policy).

Social Security was a huge step along with other FDR initiative (that ol' "traitor to his class").

Many forms of automation are, I assume, treated as capital investment by the IRS. Regardless, business gets the advantages of efficiency, competitiveness, and profit, but at a cost for many workers--unemployment amount to half of a $50k annual or lower income, and lasts for 6 months, in rare cases extended for 13 or 26 weeks. This brings up the retraining discussion, which means tax funding.

Now, the industrial revolution has involved major changes in the workplace all along. Individual coal digs (literally individual) became company mines (as canals, then rails to the canals, then steam engines to ship on the rails and canals instead of donkeys and horses). The Luddites smashed textile machines but the textile machines survived. Kerosene took the place of whale oil--rig operators replacing men on the seas wielding harpoons. Bicycle makers built airplanes. And so on.

I don't know if some historian specializing in technology and economics could put metrics on the impact of these, I am assuming degree, pace, and effects of these impacts are all increasing but I really do not know. Even before the IR the gentry in the British Isles were fencing in the commons and kicking off the tenants.

Social Security and UI were both implemented with specific taxes on employers (plus the employee share of the SS taxes). Perhaps it's time to consider a dedicated tax fund in connection with the effect of technology on people's jobs. Social Security disability determination processes already examine work and education history as a factor in their determination process, so there is an existing framework of analysis that could be applied to someone becoming "technologically disabled." No, I am not saying the goal would simply be income replacement, it would simply determine eligibility for programs and qualifying programs for the individual. It COULD include income support in connection with retraining (if you are on UI and go to school, you lose UI). [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics