Quote:
Originally Posted by sendler
So what do we do? Just let 1% of the world continue to harvest 80% of the new wealth year after year? Automation will continue to make this worse as the labor surplus increases.
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First we need to establish that is bad. Is it? Why? It seems to fit with the Pareto distribution found in almost any system.
The better question is how do we care for those people at the bottom who don't have the skill and temperament to produce things of value in an increasingly complex world? That proportion of people is likely to rise as automation increases.
JBP often mentions that the military will reject about 10% of a population, meaning that 1 out of 10 people don't have physical and mental ability to be a net asset to the war machine.
In my view, if 10% of people don't have what is necessary to contribute to and be rewarded by the market, we should provide some minimum level of support while challenging people to contribute what they can. People who are healthy enough can help maintain parks, for example, or pick up trash. "...ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country"
When I was in prison, everyone worked (it's Oregon law that inmates work a minimum 40hr week). Prisoners represent the bottom of the barrel, as statistically they are lower IQ, poorer health, and have more mental issues. The old guys swept the stairs and kept countertops clean. Some guys worked at a pallet factory. I worked on a landscaping crew and cleaned up a ballpark. Some picked up trash along highways.
About the worst way to "help" a person is give them money without giving them responsibility or purpose.