Cheap Labor is Dead -- And maybe our hopes too.

[flacaltenn]

Why?

Why?

What becomes of those who are not cut out to be lawyers or doctors or engineers or teachers or technicians or any other occupation tnhat might require an advanced skill set?

The division of labor extends, and they go into new sectors of production, offering previously inconceivable goods and services. This is what has happened throughout history. Why didn't mechanization in American agriculture cause permanent unemployment? Because, these workers were soaked up into the increasing industrialization of the United States (even though many of these jobs were also automated). Also keep in mind computers are limited in what they can complete and do.

The assumption is that if machines largely, if not completely, replace the human workforce, humans will have little to no income. But if such is the case, who will purchase any machine-produced stuff, if humans have little to no income? The likelihood of a large, if not complete, machine workforce seems highly unlikely because few to no human consumers results in little to no profits for machinery owners.

If machines manufactured everything, prices would drop to the floor. People could afford to work less. Such is the reason why child labor is no longer necessary to support a family. Real wages increased because of the massive expansion of production, so children left the workforce.

The goal of production is consumption, not employment. If the goal of production was employment, not consumption, then a construction site manager should order construction workers to use spoons, not shovels, to create jobs. Ultimately, the goal is to work less and keep the same or higher standards of living. That is what automation allows. If robots did everything and no one had to lift a hand to do any work- we'd be in a sort of paradise.

Let me expand on the ShackledOne's explanation..

Efficiency in manufacturing is good for environment. More work-at-home jobs. Less commuting/congestion. Robots don't need large parking lots or cafeterias..

Automating manufacturing does not affect the SERVICE industry very much -- We don't have much to lose here. There is no future in 20th century manufacturing in this country, and soon in the rest of the world. ALL WE HAVE is a service industry left. And that will largely remain..

We cannot "hope and change" ourselves back into labor-intensive manufacturing. But YES WE CAN --- produce basketballs, shoes, and garden tools in this country in this country again IF -- we make cheap labor irrelevent by applying robotics, artificial intelligience, materials and bio sciences to the problem..

It's the only way to circumvent being led around by the nose by the rest of the world for the next 10 generations.. Dig in -- start believing -- work to allow it to happen.. Or start studying Mandarin -- because THEY WILL acheive this goal..

 

[ShackledNation]

Why?

What becomes of those who are not cut out to be lawyers or doctors or engineers or teachers or technicians or any other occupation tnhat might require an advanced skill set?

The division of labor extends, and they go into new sectors of production, offering previously inconceivable goods and services. This is what has happened throughout history. Why didn't mechanization in American agriculture cause permanent unemployment? Because, these workers were soaked up into the increasing industrialization of the United States (even though many of these jobs were also automated). Also keep in mind computers are limited in what they can complete and do.

The assumption is that if machines largely, if not completely, replace the human workforce, humans will have little to no income. But if such is the case, who will purchase any machine-produced stuff, if humans have little to no income? The likelihood of a large, if not complete, machine workforce seems highly unlikely because few to no human consumers results in little to no profits for machinery owners.

If machines manufactured everything, prices would drop to the floor. People could afford to work less. Such is the reason why child labor is no longer necessary to support a family. Real wages increased because of the massive expansion of production, so children left the workforce.

The goal of production is consumption, not employment. If the goal of production was employment, not consumption, then a construction site manager should order construction workers to use spoons, not shovels, to create jobs. Ultimately, the goal is to work less and keep the same or higher standards of living. That is what automation allows. If robots did everything and no one had to lift a hand to do any work- we'd be in a sort of paradise.

Let me expand on the ShackledOne's explanation..

Efficiency in manufacturing is good for environment. More work-at-home jobs. Less commuting/congestion. Robots don't need large parking lots or cafeterias..

Automating manufacturing does not affect the SERVICE industry very much -- We don't have much to lose here. There is no future in 20th century manufacturing in this country, and soon in the rest of the world. ALL WE HAVE is a service industry left. And that will largely remain..

We cannot "hope and change" ourselves back into labor-intensive manufacturing. But YES WE CAN --- produce basketballs, shoes, and garden tools in this country in this country again IF -- we make cheap labor irrelevent by applying robotics, artificial intelligience, materials and bio sciences to the problem..

It's the only way to circumvent being led around by the nose by the rest of the world for the next 10 generations.. Dig in -- start believing -- work to allow it to happen.. Or start studying Mandarin -- because THEY WILL acheive this goal..

One last thing to further add to that. Even if every single aspect of the economy were automatized, including service industries (which is highly unlikely), and even if we had robots to repair robots and very little work was required at all, we would still have higher standards of living. Because production would be so incredibly high, supply would be incredibly high. Prices would be equally incredibly low. The result would be less need for employment. People would have longer retirements and more vacation time. All work could be part time work, where a days wage can support you for a month due to the massive production of an automated economy.

The purpose of an economy is not employment, but the opposite. In the end, the purpose of an economy is to require as little employment to support the same standard of higher standards of living.

 

[shintao]

Are the robots designing, building and servicing themselves yet?

Think of the possibilities. No taxes or benefits or wages. No social net needed, housing, or consumerism, no education, crime, or other human needs. Nadda! Just pure profits. With a centeralized computer bank, an entire industry can produce products 24/7 without any human interference, and real cheap. So cheap, a person living on a $450. SS check will be able to afford to live.

 

[uscitizen]

A growing population with less need for unskilled and semi skilled labor is a shit storm of Biblical proportion waiting to happen.

Why?

why? MOre people needing jobs and less jobs.

think about it.

 

[Oddball]

Are the robots designing, building and servicing themselves yet?

Think of the possibilities. No taxes or benefits or wages. No social net needed, housing, or consumerism, no education, crime, or other human needs. Nadda! Just pure profits. With a centeralized computer bank, an entire industry can produce products 24/7 without any human interference, and real cheap. So cheap, a person living on a $450. SS check will be able to afford to live.

It takes skilled labor to design, build market and maintain them, you shortsighted nincompoop.

Maybe you'd be happier living with the Amish.

 

[uscitizen]

Are the robots designing, building and servicing themselves yet?

Think of the possibilities. No taxes or benefits or wages. No social net needed, housing, or consumerism, no education, crime, or other human needs. Nadda! Just pure profits. With a centeralized computer bank, an entire industry can produce products 24/7 without any human interference, and real cheap. So cheap, a person living on a $450. SS check will be able to afford to live.

It takes skilled labor to design, build market and maintain them, you shortsighted nincompoop.

Maybe you'd be happier living with the Amish.

The Amish shop at Lowe's.

 

[ShackledNation]

A growing population with less need for unskilled and semi skilled labor is a shit storm of Biblical proportion waiting to happen.

Why?

why? MOre people needing jobs and less jobs.

think about it.

Ah but that is where you are mistaken. It is not necessarily true that as the population grows more people must be employed in lower skilled labor. What is certain is that as productivity increases, people need to work less.

So you have a situation where increased productivity allows for the same or greater amount of production with less work. This is fine because prices will be lower, so workers will not need to work as much to support themselves. Again, I cannot reiterate enough: the purpose of production is not employment, it is consumption. Employment is a means to produce, consumption is the purpose of producing. Once you get out of the mindset that people are better off working long hours until they are aging and dying, then you will realize the benefits of automation. Earlier retirement, less work, more freedom.

 

[flacaltenn]

I'm really curious as to who we'll blame for our jobs disappearing once the Chinese show the world what 21st Century manufacturing looks like.. What will the left have to whine about? It won't be JUST wages or cheap labor that transferred power away from the USA. There won't be calls for "fair trade" based on labor laws or environmental concerns. We ignored the obvious truth that Americans needed to concentrate on jobs and occupations and methods that required more highly skilled labor. And we had ample warning.. That's how history will write it..

It will be our preoccupation with politics and the Roman circus of our culture that kept us from getting there first..

 

[uscitizen]

As long as we have our bread and cir.... err beer and sports....

 

[HenryBHough]

It is amazing how few lawyers are required in a land where everybody carries a sidearm. Somehow it induces politeness and cooperation without resort to the courts.

 

[flacaltenn]

As long as we have our bread and cir.... err beer and sports....

How sad is that really? Party til the power goes down? Catch the news of our demise on USMB?

Have you seen Idiocracy (the movie?). Tell me if that's the way you want it to end..

 

[Moonglow]

Are the robots designing, building and servicing themselves yet?

No in fact -- the shift is simply AWAY from unskilled labor and towards SKILLED labor. Because even a thousand robots doing the same thing need mentoring and babysitting.

The reward for the country that leads the world in NEW manufacturing paradigms will be jobs at ALL levels of skill except the distribution won't be as pyramid like as it is now..

Sadly, this country is producing no technically skilled labour. Only semi-robotic Democrat voters indoctrinated by fraudulent Liberal Arts colleges selling what they falsely sell as "education".

and conservatves are religious dogma dead heads that are dumb as dirt. I am sorry I insulted the dirt.

 

[Moonglow]

It is amazing how few lawyers are required in a land where everybody carries a sidearm. Somehow it induces politeness and cooperation without resort to the courts.

The USA has 75% of the worlds lawyers.