A job guarantee is a great start. Shorter work weeks is another. But alas, capital will fight this every step along the way. So that means it's something that needs to be addressed with collective action.
I think an earlier retirement age (assuming adequate government financial support) would help with creating more public & private sector openings for people coming into the job market or wanting to move out of the JG.
It's hard to imagine AI serving our interests as long as it is being harnessed in the service of profit. But in the hands of the people the possibilities are endless
When I first began my MMT evangelism at bus stops and coffee shops years ago, after seeing a few "MMT lightbulbs" lit with a basic understanding, the individuals would always ask a crucial question. "So what? How is that useful to me?" Since then, I have modified my 'elevator pitch' to stress the importance of MMT knowledge as a rallying point for citizen unity.
I’m trying to form a strategy for ordinary people to build sovereignty from the base, at local level. In Scotland our councils are massively underfunded. It’s where the buck stops for austerity policies. However, they do control public land, planning departments, further education colleges and provide all the welfare services that the unemployed or others, discarded by the neoliberal system, rely on. We MMTers know what to do with unemployed resources. By building resilience into the local economy through food, housing and energy production, ie building that sovereignty, I think there is a would be a way of using the negative power of neoliberalism against itself.
I just interviewed Scott Ferguson and Ben Wilson who came up with a spin off an old idea: municipal or local bonds that pay interest while funding local priorities. It's not a perfect solution, but it is an available solution for that local capacity
I’m just listening to today’s Money on the Left podcast which is also on the same subject. It’s crazy how ifeas align sometimes. I look forward to hearing the episode Steve
The crucial intersection of “Class and Cash Analysis” is a bullshit free zone…
It ain’t sexy, it ain’t the place where clickbaity shallow infotainment gets any play, it’s a tough place to fight from if you’re looking to get wins and adulation on the regular, but it’s the home of the REAL shit… the truth…
A place where eyes are opened, mental weapons are sharpened, and activists become catalysts…
And it’s where Real Progressives HQ is located.
Come get equipped for the war we’re already balls deep in…
"the ruling class deliberately maintains unemployment as a disciplinary tool to suppress wages and worker power – concrete evidence that “scarcity” is a political construct rather than economic necessity."
Unemployment is at or close to an all time low and most of it is people in between jobs. As usual, yall are completely divorced from reality.
No, no they dont. You're either lying or simply wishful thinking. You want reality to be one way, but its another. You want facts about the world to follow from your ideology - if ideology says x should happen, then x must be happening. Unfortunately for you it doesnt work like that. The grown up thing would be to realize that x not happening should lead you to revise your identical beliefs. Rather than lying about the world as it actually exists
Look at the job numbers they put out —4% unemployment? What a fucking joke. That number ignores the gig workers (completely!) grinding themselves to the bone for no benefits, the part-timers denied full hours, the skilled workers rotting in temp jobs, and the millions who’ve been pushed out of the workforce entirely. The real underemployment rate, which dumbasses ignore is 7.4% and it tells the real story: capitalism doesn’t want full employment. It wants a permanent underclass of scared, available labor to keep wages down. And when workers do find jobs, they’re increasingly unstable gig work, contract labor, no benefits, no future. The ruling class and bootlicker apologists such as yourself call this "innovation." MMT calls it what it is: a policy choice to maintain exploitation.
Add salt to boot leather. It might make you feel better as you betray workers with your nonsensical takes and capital felatio.
Of course basic unemployment numbers dont count gig workers since they're not unemployed! There are alternatives measures of unemployment though which do count "underemployed" workers and again, these are at, or close to, an all time low. And of course if you add "part time employed" to "unemployed" you get a bigger number. Gee what a surprise! a+b>a. Oh my god capitalism! There have always been part time and "underemployed" workers, the point is that, just like with unemployed, the number of such has been historically low in the past 6-8 years.
As to the "theoretical", brain dead idea, that "capitalism requires unemployment", its just fucking dumb if you think about it for a second. How are capitalist gonna make profit if no one's working/producing? Most unemployed these days are 1) people in between jobs, 2) people with outdated skills in the process of retraining and 3) people with dysfunctional lives. And when you add all that up, its not that many people considering how big this country is. Likewise, about half the gig and part time workers (that you call "underemployed") when asked say they *want* to work part time, for some extra cash or other reasons (have something to do, help a friend or family with store etc)
Im sorry but this "reserve army of the unemplyed" just doesnt exist out there and hasn't really existed since like the 19th century (if ever). You happen to subscribe to a cult religion that says it should exist, but that's a problem for your religious beliefs
I have nothing further to add. You're not dealing in good faith. You are an impediment to making life better for the vast majority of the country and especially the minority who are crushed by these power relationships.
Ok. If you have nothing further to add, then dont add anything, rather than accusing me of bad faith. I am 100% sincere - I am genuinely sure that this "reserve army of unemployed" that is supposed to exist under capitalism is a figment of your imagination. It is not based on any fact about the actually existing world but rather an implication of your ideology. Holding on to that belief is no different than a person refusing to believe in evolution "because it contradicts the bible"
👏👏👏
Where does AI come into play with its pressure on non-reliance for workers?
A job guarantee is a great start. Shorter work weeks is another. But alas, capital will fight this every step along the way. So that means it's something that needs to be addressed with collective action.
I think an earlier retirement age (assuming adequate government financial support) would help with creating more public & private sector openings for people coming into the job market or wanting to move out of the JG.
Amen!! Exactly. Great thinking Tim!
It's hard to imagine AI serving our interests as long as it is being harnessed in the service of profit. But in the hands of the people the possibilities are endless
When I first began my MMT evangelism at bus stops and coffee shops years ago, after seeing a few "MMT lightbulbs" lit with a basic understanding, the individuals would always ask a crucial question. "So what? How is that useful to me?" Since then, I have modified my 'elevator pitch' to stress the importance of MMT knowledge as a rallying point for citizen unity.
I’m trying to form a strategy for ordinary people to build sovereignty from the base, at local level. In Scotland our councils are massively underfunded. It’s where the buck stops for austerity policies. However, they do control public land, planning departments, further education colleges and provide all the welfare services that the unemployed or others, discarded by the neoliberal system, rely on. We MMTers know what to do with unemployed resources. By building resilience into the local economy through food, housing and energy production, ie building that sovereignty, I think there is a would be a way of using the negative power of neoliberalism against itself.
I just interviewed Scott Ferguson and Ben Wilson who came up with a spin off an old idea: municipal or local bonds that pay interest while funding local priorities. It's not a perfect solution, but it is an available solution for that local capacity
I’m just listening to today’s Money on the Left podcast which is also on the same subject. It’s crazy how ifeas align sometimes. I look forward to hearing the episode Steve
Understood.
Thank you. This is why I continue working with Real Progressives.
The crucial intersection of “Class and Cash Analysis” is a bullshit free zone…
It ain’t sexy, it ain’t the place where clickbaity shallow infotainment gets any play, it’s a tough place to fight from if you’re looking to get wins and adulation on the regular, but it’s the home of the REAL shit… the truth…
A place where eyes are opened, mental weapons are sharpened, and activists become catalysts…
And it’s where Real Progressives HQ is located.
Come get equipped for the war we’re already balls deep in…
We. Need. Us.
"the ruling class deliberately maintains unemployment as a disciplinary tool to suppress wages and worker power – concrete evidence that “scarcity” is a political construct rather than economic necessity."
Unemployment is at or close to an all time low and most of it is people in between jobs. As usual, yall are completely divorced from reality.
Gig economy and underemployed
Which is also at an all time low
That is absolutely ridiculous. The numbers say an entirely different story, but sure, lick that boot.
No, no they dont. You're either lying or simply wishful thinking. You want reality to be one way, but its another. You want facts about the world to follow from your ideology - if ideology says x should happen, then x must be happening. Unfortunately for you it doesnt work like that. The grown up thing would be to realize that x not happening should lead you to revise your identical beliefs. Rather than lying about the world as it actually exists
Here is the best you get. Learn or fuck off.
https://billmitchell.org/blog/?p=17564
Lol wtf does this have to fo with anything? You've resorted to just posting barely relevant links.
https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/usd/full-employment-abandoned-9781858985077.html
Look at the job numbers they put out —4% unemployment? What a fucking joke. That number ignores the gig workers (completely!) grinding themselves to the bone for no benefits, the part-timers denied full hours, the skilled workers rotting in temp jobs, and the millions who’ve been pushed out of the workforce entirely. The real underemployment rate, which dumbasses ignore is 7.4% and it tells the real story: capitalism doesn’t want full employment. It wants a permanent underclass of scared, available labor to keep wages down. And when workers do find jobs, they’re increasingly unstable gig work, contract labor, no benefits, no future. The ruling class and bootlicker apologists such as yourself call this "innovation." MMT calls it what it is: a policy choice to maintain exploitation.
Add salt to boot leather. It might make you feel better as you betray workers with your nonsensical takes and capital felatio.
Of course basic unemployment numbers dont count gig workers since they're not unemployed! There are alternatives measures of unemployment though which do count "underemployed" workers and again, these are at, or close to, an all time low. And of course if you add "part time employed" to "unemployed" you get a bigger number. Gee what a surprise! a+b>a. Oh my god capitalism! There have always been part time and "underemployed" workers, the point is that, just like with unemployed, the number of such has been historically low in the past 6-8 years.
As to the "theoretical", brain dead idea, that "capitalism requires unemployment", its just fucking dumb if you think about it for a second. How are capitalist gonna make profit if no one's working/producing? Most unemployed these days are 1) people in between jobs, 2) people with outdated skills in the process of retraining and 3) people with dysfunctional lives. And when you add all that up, its not that many people considering how big this country is. Likewise, about half the gig and part time workers (that you call "underemployed") when asked say they *want* to work part time, for some extra cash or other reasons (have something to do, help a friend or family with store etc)
Im sorry but this "reserve army of the unemplyed" just doesnt exist out there and hasn't really existed since like the 19th century (if ever). You happen to subscribe to a cult religion that says it should exist, but that's a problem for your religious beliefs
I have nothing further to add. You're not dealing in good faith. You are an impediment to making life better for the vast majority of the country and especially the minority who are crushed by these power relationships.
Ok. If you have nothing further to add, then dont add anything, rather than accusing me of bad faith. I am 100% sincere - I am genuinely sure that this "reserve army of unemployed" that is supposed to exist under capitalism is a figment of your imagination. It is not based on any fact about the actually existing world but rather an implication of your ideology. Holding on to that belief is no different than a person refusing to believe in evolution "because it contradicts the bible"