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@jeffowski you used to be able to mine coal and support 8 kids comfortably - your wife didn't have to work but arguably had a tougher job

@jeffowski I strongly agree. the problem is that the top 1% control the flow of resources. they don't want everyone to have a good standard of living cause then people will not be motivated to work. but the top 1% need the rest to work to maintain their stronghold on the resources...

@jeffowski #CapitalismIsAPyramidScheme

@jeffowski

You are basically right; I would just put it as 'Why isnʼt making it possible for all of us to be actually free Priority N°1?' since I'm not sure _every_thing necessary is automatable yet.

I think the answers are:
0.) Yours—those at the top prefer it this way.
1.) Too many of us don't understand that what previous people _had_ to be reconciled-to is no longer necessary.
2.) Many of us were reconciled to it by believing that it were _right_ that we give-over our lives to labour.

@jeffowski right on! Now that we have collected all the wealth we just need to distribute it correctly! Let's tax as if it was 1955 #MAGA!

@jeffowski People were asking similar questions in the 1830's.

@jeffowski

@jeffowski

"Many decades ago I saw a coming age when human labor would no longer be essential.

It was a disturbing realization and I pondered possible solutions for many years.

My primary concern is that humanity is the least valued among our treasures, and uncounted billions could be declared worthless. With some subsequently exterminated, but most simply left to suffer and die without food, shelter, or healthcare. As so many are already today.

And, even for survivors, without having some common connection and responsibility to society the threads of humanity would begin to wither, as would they.

So after much thought I came upon a viable, though imperfect, solution.

Rather than arbitrarily distributing money, what if everyone were given a part of whatever infrastructure was critical at the time? For example, initially awarding ownership of a robot necessary for manufacturing. A wage would be received for the robot and responsibility for its maintenance would be theirs.

This would not only demand participation in society, but also enable the freedom to buy more infrastructure if they wished, or invest their resources in some other way. Thereby preserving basic opportunity for entrepreneurship and progress in a world of equal opportunity but unassured outcome."
SearingTruth

@jeffowski we don’t (on average, in rich countries) https://ourworldindata.org/working-hours

@jeffowski Because the owners of the mainstream media don't want the general public's view to be this.

@jeffowski see the late David Graeber’s last book: “Bullshit Jobs”

Find creative ways to make unnecessary work to optimize your profits, have lots of lackeys to boost your ego, secure your own position in the daily rat race …

@jeffowski Here’s an idea: We are the rich.
I mean, obviously we are not really rich, and have to hustle to make ends meet (and probably fail to do so anyways), but measured by the standard of living of those who make our stuff and train our AIs, we are f***ing rich.
Which makes our next holiday in a somewhat less rich country so wonderfully… affordable.

The world is a gradient of shittiness. Just sayin‘.

But otherwise: yes, agreed, there is no sane reason for billionaires.

@jeffowski

I noticed the hammer and sickle emoji and immediately wrote him off. You should, too.