Sunday, January 29, 2012

The Pursuit of Jobs

I don't have the full answer to how to solve the jobs crisis but have made a few observations from my own experiences; namely technology is moving so fast that workers have to study after work hours to keep up.  Community Colleges are inadequate to meet the demand for up to date technological education.  It reminds me of what happened to ancient Rome.  Farmers were bought out by wealthy entrepreneurs who used slaves to till and work the land.  The former farmers moved to the cities.  Some took on crafts but most went on a dole and watched the gladiator games paid for by the wealthy elite, to buy favor from the mob.  In a way that is what has happened to our society--small farmers are out, large corporations have bought the land and made collectives, which are tilled and worked by mechanical "slaves" overseen by a few overseers.
Manufacturing corporations have gone outside of the U.S. in order to find cheap laborers; they are little better than slaves.  However, when you had slaves you had to feed them adequately enough to work; you had to provide them with lodging; you had to call in a doctor to take care of illnesses or injuries;  and you took care of them if they reached old age.  Corporations overseas gives foreign workers a pittance, hardly enough to provide for themselves.  The corporations are doing to them what they want for everyone in the U.S.; no representation, no healthcare, no pensions, and a lack of protective regulations regarding financial institutions.  Corporations' idea of a free market is one where corporations only are heard and considered.  The corporations want low taxes, subsidies, low wages for workers (competitiveness), no benefits such as pensions, no company sponsored health care, no worker's representation (labor unions), no government interceding on labor's behalf.  In other words a corporation utopia. 
The trend towards joblessness will continue to grow;  technology taking more jobs, education becoming more expensive as well as inadequate to meet the nation's technological needs.  More workers will find themselves homeless (if the corporation elite have their way), unable to meet industry's technological needs.  There are a percentage of people who do not have mathematical abilities, scientific or mechanical ability.  Some people learn more slowly than others.  Society must consider that a portion of the population are less suitable for highly technological jobs.  A niche should be provided for them.  Consider maybe slowing down our mad pursuit of technology for a time; to let society catch its breath.

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