A billionaire explains the middle class

I tossed that out as another example of how punishing restrictions imposed on "them" (businesses, gun owners, et al) will boomerang back on "us".

-jsw

I've discussed that with my father, who had been an Air Corps company commander during WW2 and held a high position in NH State government. He made a good case that an effective manager can run an operation smoothly enough that he doesn't have to be present to keep his thumb on it all the time.

He took me on a lot of his trips around the state to visit his local state park and ski resort managers, compliment them on their good work, get in some fishing (and observing) and by the way show that he was always paying attention to detail, like if a vehicle suspiciously needed tires too often.

-jsw

Overall, its a 'comfort' or 'money' scenario that everyone faces in life.

'Comfort" comes from trying to cut corners, being lazy, doing things to feel above women, minorities, opponents, etc...

'Money' comes from the shear pain of cooperating with others and constantly seeking and accepting advice - like marching in the streets.

We've already got robotic checkout clerks at groceries, big box stores, etc. They call them "self serve checkouts"

True, but look what has happened to a nearly unrestricted Congress... Talk about a 'poster child' against Democracy.

You got the talk, eh?

"Son, just because my GTO has a 389cid with a six-pack on top, a Borg Warner T-10 close-ratio gearbox, and a 4.11 posi rear end, =doesn't= mean that when you borrow it..."

I cannot wait to see that day!

They are self serve, but at fast food restaurants we get served.

Dad never owned anything like that. My high school buddies, the sons of doctors and lawyers, had the hot cars.

He was watching the purchase records for state-owned vehicles to catch people selling the tires. Corruption was very limited in NH, the ambitious crooks just moved to Massachusetts.

He knew the tricks because his Air Corps company had been in the South Pacific where "repurposing" government equipment without authorization was standard practice, to gain an edge on the Japs and improve the primitive living conditions. The natives in New Guinea had no money to buy stolen goods so MacArthur looked the other way and sent complaining supply officers home for "combat fatigue".

Their Officers' Club had a beer chiller made from a misplaced Jeep engine. His first mission on arriving in the Phillipines was to drive his Jeep onto an 'available' cargo plane for a two-barrel booze run to Manila.

================== Good suggestion!

May want to exempt the true small family business to avoid undue administrative burden.

The first step in correcting any problem is the collection of adequate and reliable data. Until this is done you can't be sure you even have a problem, or its scale. If it becomes a U.S. labor standard that all employees are "on the clock," as it is in some other developed countries, the "stigma" of being on the clock will disappear.

================= The problem being robots do no drink cocoa or eat hamburgers... and the displaced workers will still have to eat.

About the time I was moving out of the West Coast the local Double Arches there had hired 100% Spanish speaking and it was really hard to get service if you didn't speak Spanish. Only the supervisor knew English or enough - to take an order other than '1 or 2 or 3.....'.

So robots would be improved over that - able to switch languages on the fly and know what the hell was going on.

Martin

Yes, those evil doers in the 3rd world countries. Of course China has a energy use (calculated in million BBL oil equivalent) of 10.2 per capita, Indian 2.9 per capita and the U.S., 57.2 so we can tell that them primitive places need to cut down!

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? 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.

Those below the line have no clout other than violence.

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.

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

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 ;-)

So you can't buy a burger, if you don't want to have a so called smart phone?

Yes the time is right for a new political party to emerge. The current crop of politicos are out of touch with current technology and whats comming. They practice 19th century politics in the 21st century, thier only concern is getting reelected and dieing in office. Term limits would help in getting people elected that are up to speed with todays realities, it would also put a big dent in being obligated to thier campain contributors. Much of the strife we see today is they fault of the voters, they suffer from rigid thinking, basicly they can't see through the BS and deception put forth by the PACS which is designed to Divide and conquer. Voting based on emotions or for a personal agenda is the norm these days.

My personal proposal is the we have a none of the above box on every ballot. If an office goes unfilled we then draft a person from the general public to fill that office for one election cycle, that person can run for reelection if they so choose until they reach the term limits of that office.Using a lottery of registered voters would produce the pool of conscripts and operate like jury selection. They lucky winner would be paid a sallery that is equal to thier current sallery with a COLA each year that is equilant to the rate of inflation just like social security. Medical bennifits would be carried out by the VA. Outlaw PACS. Limit campain spending. All elected officials shall be subject to any and all laws they enact, no exemptions. Any and all lobbing shall be done before both houses when in full session and telivised and archived on the internet.

Best Regards Tom.

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You're joking right? The average American doesn't even do the labor marchi ng enough that's required for higher wages. Just look at their shiftless su periority complexes and laziness. How do you possibly expect them to get u p from the table of beer for anything else?

Face it, you're stuck with a two party system for longer than you all think .

If and when I can actually find product made in USA or Canada, I do. But if it is a Canadian or American name on a Chinese product - no way. Same with European brands.

Oh, I thought you were referring to his catching you doing burnouts with his car. (Mine, either, BTW. His hottest was an Austin Healey 100-4 he raced in Autocrosses and Gymkhanas, and it's on that very vehicle which I honed my auto-mechanic's eye teeth.) My hottest was a 1970 AMC Javelin w/ a 390cid putting out 400+hp and 425+ft/lb after rebuilding with a mild cam. That was a very, very fun car.

OK, got it. Good for your dad!

Way to go, Mac!

Ingenious!

Good story/great man! Was this your dad (wrong name), or did he just know him, or what? He sounds a lot like Pappy Boyington. (loved that TV series, ya darned college kid.)

My dad flew a Mitchell in several missions over Germany and France, then was shot down over France and held in a stalag for 10 months, 'til the Russian tanks rolled over the fences.

Really? (see below)

Why on Earth would you eat at such dumps, Ig?