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What about if there are a group of people who cannot do mid-to-high skilled jobs (whilst potentially controversial, I think this is accurate)? If we replace al

What about if there are a group of people who cannot do mid-to-high skilled jobs (whilst potentially controversial, I think this is accurate)? If we replace all of those jobs what do they do? I have always thought there is a far-future dystopian story in that somewhere; society has evolved IT and automation to the extent that only the top 25% of individuals actually "work" and everyone else has leisure. The 25% decide they want a leisurely life also, causing the collapse of society...

robert_foss 9y ago
Even if there is such a group of people, unable to learn a new trade, surely they're not the majority. So there is lots of room for improving the situation. There are lots of stories of American coal miners going into tech when the mining jobs dried up. But their process of getting there is through charitable organizations, not a proper educational program.
- megaman22 9y ago
  There are vested interests in promoting those sorts of stories, as a counterpoint to the depressing reality that far more drop out of the economy onto the disability rolls and slowly or quickly drink and drug themselves to death.
- rjsw 9y ago
  Coal mining was (and is) tech, so it shouldn't be a surprise that some workers can move into another area of engineering.
Sohcahtoa82 9y ago
The 75% should only be provided with little more than bare essentials. An apartment, food, and health care, with a small allowance for niceties. The 25% that actually work should be rewarded with luxuries. Financial means to travel, own their own house, drive a nice car, etc.
- m0llusk 9y ago
  But human life is dynamic. The most productive and innovative contributors start out as drooling infants and up as feeble elders. Society has to support more than high earners and their favorites.
  - Sohcahtoa82 9y ago
    Certainly. And we'll support the drooling infants and feeble elders. And we'd also provide the opportunities for people to learn what is necessary to move from the 75% to the 25%.
- gehwartzen 9y ago
  Who do the 25% sell all their custom salads to? Automation is great at producing consumer goods not so much at producing luxury goods. One would think that the problem of not enough consumers to buy the stuff automation produces would be a self limiting mechanism. A UBI doesnt really address the problem either because it is essentially just taking money from those that own the automation equipment and giving it to those that don't so they can turn around and buy stuff from the automation equipment :/

robert_foss 9y ago

Even if there is such a group of people, unable to learn a new trade, surely they're not the majority. So there is lots of room for improving the situation. There are lots of stories of American coal miners going into tech when the mining jobs dried up. But their process of getting there is through charitable organizations, not a proper educational program.

megaman22 9y ago
There are vested interests in promoting those sorts of stories, as a counterpoint to the depressing reality that far more drop out of the economy onto the disability rolls and slowly or quickly drink and drug themselves to death.
rjsw 9y ago
Coal mining was (and is) tech, so it shouldn't be a surprise that some workers can move into another area of engineering.

Sohcahtoa82 9y ago

The 75% should only be provided with little more than bare essentials. An apartment, food, and health care, with a small allowance for niceties. The 25% that actually work should be rewarded with luxuries. Financial means to travel, own their own house, drive a nice car, etc.

m0llusk 9y ago
But human life is dynamic. The most productive and innovative contributors start out as drooling infants and up as feeble elders. Society has to support more than high earners and their favorites.
- Sohcahtoa82 9y ago
  Certainly. And we'll support the drooling infants and feeble elders. And we'd also provide the opportunities for people to learn what is necessary to move from the 75% to the 25%.
gehwartzen 9y ago
Who do the 25% sell all their custom salads to? Automation is great at producing consumer goods not so much at producing luxury goods. One would think that the problem of not enough consumers to buy the stuff automation produces would be a self limiting mechanism. A UBI doesnt really address the problem either because it is essentially just taking money from those that own the automation equipment and giving it to those that don't so they can turn around and buy stuff from the automation equipment :/