There’s a Global divide happening and there’s more than one
possible outcome. Never before had I considered anything close to an optimistic
ending when thinking about the distant economic future. It was enlightening to
read of how the labor demands of the economic system are conceptually a pyramid
scheme in that there are great fortunate winners but only very few, leaving the
majority living with very less. The idea
of eliminating the need for manual labor would also eliminate the losers of the
pyramid scheme equation by introducing technology advanced enough to complete
the tasks of the same demand as a low-level worker. It might seem like a
farfetched idea but say it could happen; what would the system look like then?
Continuing into the more pessimistic approach, Scott Sernau
writes how states often compete and try to “steal” businesses from each other
by offering large tax breaks to the businesses so they’ll locate inside the
state’s boundaries creating more jobs there but in making those offers they lose
a large amount of tax revenue to support public institutions as Sernau puts it.
Essentially it’s good as a short term approach but you’re kind of caught with
your hand in your pants when it comes to having to come up with some money down
the line. States are shooting themselves in the foot by creating these
“business friendly” environments that facilitate company growth while weakening
the foundations it’s built on: the workers. By encouraging “low taxes, low
wages, few unions and environmental regulations” companies are able to offer
jobs while lowering the satisfaction levels of the people working those jobs. Having
a job is nice but for minimal pay, benefits and protections, don’t expect
anyone to stick around very long.
It’s a
little shameful to say but I have never given this issue as broad of a look as
this reading has offered with just this little amount of background knowledge.
The futures I see playing out in real time, I have only previously envisioned
in fiction.
Good ol' Calvin and Hobbes reminding us all to keep the "little guy" happy.
No comments:
Post a Comment