labor

I’ve long wondered why humans accept their conditions regarding labor, and resist even discussions about better alternatives.

For instance, if I raise the idea of matching wages and prices for goods and services, in a planned way, democratically, people online and in person react with incredulity, if not outright anger. Nostrums and platitudes abound, about “hard work” and “earning what you get,” even though the vast majority of humans get NO WHERE after working their asses off. There is simply no proof that “hard work” does what those old chestnuts say it does, except for the few. And by a few, I mean MOST humans are voted off the island, and just one or a coupla more end up with that good job, good pay, etc. etc.

Capitalism simply has never produced enough “good jobs” to supply more than roughly 10% of “hard workers” with decent rewards — at best. It’s set up to make sure the vast majority of jobs out there will always pay shht wages. Work your butt off all you want, that’s not going to change, and people are deluded if they think it will.

And, there’s this: Centrists, moderates and conservatives act as if we live in this endless stream of steady old world values, and if we just go back to them, all will be well again. Um, no. Capitalism changes things dynamically, destructively, chaotically over time, so those old world values will always be moving further and further away from us in the rear view mirror.

Back in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, the average CEO paid himself roughly 20 times the rank and file. Today she pays herself 400 times, and in Fortune 100 companies, more than a 1000 times more. Bankers once made middle class wages, and now make millions. Hedge fund managers making billions today didn’t even exist. Doctors made a fraction of what they make today, etc. etc.

The nostrums stay the same, but inequality and the madness of our wage/price system accelerates hourly.

We need to finally end the madness and lock down a sane ratio between wages and prices, democratically, rationally, that makes it certain that all humans who work X hours can afford necessities and enough “nice things” to make life good. No one left behind. Today, MOST people are, and much of that starts with the total absence of any rational link between them.

Why shouldn’t they be linked? I’ve never heard a logical reason for their arbitrary, irrational, ad hoc disconnect.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by Billy_T.