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Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ralph_Kirk
Henry Ford stated that the reason he paid his workers so much more than the average--and also brought minorities into his factories in great numbers--was specifically to increase the number of consumers for his product.
It doesn't seem like anyone in the same position has that concept.
The difference, though, is that Ford was pushing a relatively new product that did not have a market before he started making them, everyone had horses and buggies. Robotics is taking existing products that are already in demand and making them in a more efficient and consistent manner by automation. Some of those products, such as cars will still require people with good jobs to buy them, but others are less expensive and more needed so people will still buy them. They may also be able to sell the products in
other countries with the lower cost of production helping to cover the shipping costs.
Corps would gain far more financially than any marginal tax hike would offset. If not, they would move their robots offshore.
Workers must always concern themselves with the cost of alternatives to their labor.
I wasn't talking about corps, I was talking about the rest of us.
If people think there is a huge burden now with 4.1% imagine what it will be if it becomes 8.2% and if the so called low skill jobs are replaced by robots 8.2% of Americans on welfare will be a low, low, low figure.
There is now a robot which can make 30 burgers to precise specs available in very little time. I have no doubt it will be in use at fast food chains shortly, as will self-serve kiosks, just like self serve checkouts.
The difference, though, is that Ford was pushing a relatively new product that did not have a market before he started making them, everyone had horses and buggies. Robotics is taking existing products that are already in demand and making them in a more efficient and consistent manner by automation. Some of those products, such as cars will still require people with good jobs to buy them, but others are less expensive and more needed so people will still buy them. They may also be able to sell the products in
other countries with the lower cost of production helping to cover the shipping costs.
The issue is with less people in the pool to buy items (which happens when you lose more and more jobs), it drops demand which causes companies to cut down on hiring. It is a slippery slope in employment that will lead again to the creation of a socialist or worst communist nation. Just watch the problems that led to Communist Russia, red China, North Korea and Vietnam. It could very well happen to America with this slippery slope from bringing in robots to replace even the lower paying jobs.
That is a great question. And the answer is because there are a lot of people who are already upset at their taxes going to a mere 4.1% of Americans on welfare. If robots replace jobs, that % will get higher, there is no way anyone could dispute that, and again, the shrinking % of Americans who are still working will have a much greater burden and responsibility to pay much higher taxes.
There is definitely a trade off, I just don't see the advantage of it other than to save some companies some money. Of course ultimately that will come back and bite them because people will either only be getting welfare checks OR they will be paying a lot of money in taxes and won't have as much expendable income, so most companies will be taking huge hits financially anyway.
This didn't stop anyone from moving jobs overseas.
The issue is with less people in the pool to buy items (which happens when you lose more and more jobs), it drops demand which causes companies to cut down on hiring. It is a slippery slope in employment that will lead again to the creation of a socialist or worst communist nation. Just watch the problems that led to Communist Russia, red China, North Korea and Vietnam. It could very well happen to America with this slippery slope from bringing in robots to replace even the lower paying jobs.
Precisely.
What we have here is a textbook case of passing the costs of maintaining a functional, 1st world nation on to "somebody else."
1) Pay your workers badly so they can barely survive, but assume "somebody else" will pay their workers enough to be able to afford the products and services your grossly underpaid workers are producing.
2) Layoff your workers and move the jobs to 3rd world nations where you can pay them slave wages. Then, assume "somebody else" will keep the jobs in America and thus have workers who can afford your products at 1st world prices.
3) Don't pay any taxes or invest in infrastructure or anything else and assume "somebody else" will so we can keep enjoying roads, schools, firemen, police, etc.
It's a joke. Even a child can see what will happen - soon enough, everyone will be going cheap and passing the cost on to "somebody else" - except there's no longer a "somebody else" to pay the bills, and thus collapse.
Thanks. But isnt this the WORST example of robotics replacing the human labor force? the automotive industry added entertainment, computers, comfort, communication (&industrial automation) industries and surely those have more employees than the hundred people these robot arm replaced.
Whatever happened to loggers, timber processors, farmers, miners etc replaced by from simple tools to tractors to processing plants? well not unimagineable that they died right around their line of work completely died and their children took the next generation of jobs.
Demand is higher too so automation helps to keep up to it
Thanks. But isnt this the WORST example of robotics replacing the human labor force? the automotive industry added entertainment, computers, comfort, communication (&industrial automation) industries and surely those have more employees than the hundred people these robot arm replaced.
You merely asked to be shown a robot. There it is.
In terms of replacing American workers and eliminating American jobs, those were simply outsourced to other countries. But automation is encroaching now even in those.
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