slow erosion of middle-income jobs, Andy Yang, minimum income of $1,000 a month — and time banking.

[Multicolored Lemur]

Andrew Yang ran for president bin 2020 and he was asked, How are you possibly going to pay for this? He said, we have no choice.

And I agree.

The erosion of middle-income jobs since about 1970 is a slow-motion crisis. And I’d add that whereas we as human beings are often at our best in response to a fast-moving crisis such as a hurricane, it’s often the opposite for a slow-motion crisis such as a drought. We become mean and stupid.

Andy’s other big idea is time-banking.

This is from his book The War in Normal People published a year or two before his presidential run. Basically, if I help a senior citizen change out a propane tank, for example, I might earn two time credits. One for each half hour including transportation.

You can run a deficit, and that kind of gets the whole thing going. And over time, I can be very proud of the total number of time credits I’ve earned. Even if I’ve since spent most of them. That big positive number might motivate me in a way money never did.

Plus, companies might donate things like trips to poker tournaments and/or fishing trips as a bonus for hitting certain thresholds. And individuals can also donate toward these rewards.

 

[AgnosticBoy]

Andrew Yang ran for president bin 2020 and he was asked, How are you possibly going to pay for this? He said, we have no choice.

Unless someone is living in affordable housing, then I don't know how single head of household person can get by on less than $1,000/month. I'm with Andrew Yang in proposing a minimum income, but I believe that should go along side with jobs, perhaps by increasing the minimum wage or a work credit of some sort.

I will keep my eye on Andrew Yang, especially since he's considering becoming an independent. I really hope he runs again.

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

but I believe that should go along side with jobs,

But as modern day tragedy, that is what we’re unable to do.

Trump was not able to bring back manufacturing jobs and coal jobs. And not just him, pretty much any realistic political party, with a strong 70% majority (even more in Senate to make up for filibuster!)

It’s a question of what the policy is to be.

Obama promised real change. He turned out to be more of a compromise and split-the-difference type of guy. Or being more charitable, he was a middle-of-the-roader.

Or going all the way back to Bill Clinton in 1992. He promised to help rebuild the middle class, or at least get started toward this end. He was not able to do so.

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

Oren Cass says automation should be viewed the same as education. Both things should help the economy.

He says, the problem is that we’re under-producing.

But if that’s the problem, there are built in reasons. Probably that there’s a limit of how much material stuff middle-class and even rich people can buy.

——————————

I myself think automation is a major long-term problem, at least as it regards a modern society having enough good jobs.

But I’m happy to reference a writer who thinks otherwise (and maybe even hope that he’s right, but I don’t think he is).