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Larry Jaques[_4_] Larry Jaques[_4_] is offline
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Default A billionaire explains the middle class

On Sat, 27 Dec 2014 22:26:29 -0800, mike wrote:

On 12/27/2014 9:44 PM, Ed Huntress wrote:
On Sat, 27 Dec 2014 02:08:54 -0800, "Howard Beal"
wrote:


"Ed Huntress" wrote in message
...

We'll see what happens. My guess is, like what happened in the 1930s,
the people of the United States are not going to let their lives be
ruined because free-market theorists think they're economic market
objects to be "cleared." It's not a settling thought.

Ed Huntress

Seems there is already a big push in many states to implement right
to work legislation, now that repbulicans have control in washington
i believe they will try to revise federal labor laws to benifit the job
creators. Depending on who becomes president in 2016 things could
get much worse for labor. Iggy is correct technology will replace
much of the unskilled labor we use today. For example in near future
people that depend on driving for thier income will become obsolete,
same thing will happen with the airline industry, pilotless planes are in
our future. If AI ever becomes a reality the entire global ecconomy
will change, even ecconomists will be unemployed. G

Best Regards
Tom.


Iggy is right about the direction in which things are going, absent
any policy changes. But I doubt if the American people are going to
ride that technology- and ideology-driven death train all the way to
the bottom.

There will be a populist revolt -- a political one, not a violent one.

I wouldn't count on that. Those "above the line" have no incentive to
help those below the line. It's easy to
picket for equality when it's funded by someone else.
Even the do-gooders run out of steam when
their desire to help others costs them personally.
Would you pay 20% more for the same goods manufactured in America?


Lots of people do. But it's not just 20%. Newp, I see many, many
American-made goods at twice the price of imports.

I can get a dozen import LED bulbs for the price of one American-made
bulb, and the American-made doesn't have the added features of the
import. I'll be replacing my import 75W and 100W incandescent bulbs
(which the US doesn't even make any more, and is phasing out) in my
outdoor fixtures with import 15W LEDs. Most of my indoor lightingis
already CFL and LED. I've had nothing but trouble from the FEIT brand
CFLs, and it's a US company. I bought a dozen Chinese ULA CFLs in
2004 and 7 are still running. Chinese SATCO CFLs have outlasted all my
Feits, too, and they're half the price from local sellers. I have
dozens of other examples to soothe my "import buying" guilt.


We know we should, but we're standing in line at WalMart on sale day.
Not too long from now, we'll be standing in line at the soup kitchen.


Hey, WalMart happens to be the largest employer in the USA, behind the
gov't.
http://corporate.walmart.com/global-...-manufacturing
"According to data from our suppliers, items that are made, sourced or
grown right here in America already account for about two-thirds of
what we spend to buy products at Walmart U.S. But there is room to do
more."


Those below the line have no clout other than violence.


Not true. Boycotting can work, too. That's non-violent.


America cannot opt-out of the technology revolution.
We can fail to implement, but goods made elsewhere will
cost less, creating even more local unemployment.


Ayup.


How naive to think that equalizing the standard of living
would mean raising everyone else. It's happening by LOWERING
the American standard of excess to the level of the
rest of the world.


Ain't that the truth? sigh


I don't think there's any way of fixing that without
violence that takes down the whole system. God help
those who survive.


Indeed.


I thank the stars that I lived in the most prosperous time
America will ever have...and will hopefully be dead before it
comes completely unraveled.

Happy new year to us all ;-)


Nappy Hoo Year to you, too.

--
Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they
become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety,
fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, de-
cisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success.
--Brian Adams