Letter to the editor: Automation
In the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, everyone was excited about the future of computers, robots, and electronics. The idea was that people doing hard, dirty jobs in manufacturing and elsewhere would be relieved of that work by robots, and the people would be able to spend more time at home with their families, take vacations, and travel. Life was going to be much easier for everyone and was going to be great.
I don’t suppose a lot of thought went into exactly how those replaced people were going to be able to afford to have more time off, vacations, etc., but presumably a person replaced by a robot would just keep getting the same salary that the robot was now performing. Naïve, I suppose, but it seemed like it would work something like that. It did, in fact, work like that, except the people getting the money that the robot produced were the owners and stockholders of the corporation that became rich.
The person replaced by the robot was pushed down the ladder a rung or two into a much lower-paying job in the service industry like fast food, grocery stores, and big-box chain stores. As time went by, the fast food industry, grocery stores, and big box stores realized that they too could install their own robots in the form of “self-check out” or “order kiosks.” That pushed workers even further down the ladder and opened the door to the relatively new idea that two part-time workers were much cheaper to employ than one full-time employee since part-time employees didn’t have to be paid any benefits. Even the government jumped onto this part-time work scheme. While fantastic for the corporate owners of the businesses, the employee was shoved further and further down with fewer and fewer benefits. Eventually, it wasn’t possible for one person to make a living, let alone support a family.
As a country, we are currently on the cusp of disaster the likes of which have not been seen since the French Revolution. Millions of poor people struggling to look after their families while a handful of people have all of the money and resources. So what is the answer?
A drastic reduction in population would help, fewer people chasing fewer jobs, but that isn’t likely to happen, because the corporations and government need “growth,” and growth comes from more and more consumers. The more obvious answer is a guaranteed minimum wage for every adult, including the unemployed. Just get rid of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, welfare services, and charitable crap. Now, before you start shouting “communist” or “socialist” or “liberal,” hear me out.
Since the automation has transferred massive amounts of resources to a handful of wealthy individuals and corporations, those resources need to be transferred back to the individuals who were displaced by the automation that produces those resources. In other words, in today’s dollars it takes about $50,000 per year for an individual to live reasonably comfortably after they pay for housing, transportation, food, and healthcare. When you file your income tax form and your income is only $25,000, you would receive a credit back for $25,000. Imagine what all of that influx of cash is going to do for the economy when people start spending on needed goods.
Where is that money going to come from that is credited back to low-wage earners? By equal taxation of wealthy individuals and large corporations, of course, as well as the elimination of other government social programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. It only makes sense. The wealthy and international corporations reaped the benefit of the automation that displaced millions of people from their jobs. With adequate income for life, one won’t need Social Security, Medicare, etc.
I can hear the anguished cries now. “Wealth transfer,” “giveaways,” “free money,” “socialism,” all to which I say BS. The wealthy and corporations stole the jobs from the working public in the first place. If they want the benefits, they need to reimburse those who they stole the benefits from.
I am aware that the “American Way” is the Wild West way of the self-made person, the person who doesn’t take anything for nothing. The person who will sleep under a bridge with his family so Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Jeff Bezos, and others can have private jets, huge estates, and excess beyond imagination. The “American Way” is also one of fairness, and a cleaner tax and social system would go a long way toward a fairer system.
It’s time. That’s what I think anyway.
Ed Stewart
