The End of Work, and therefore of "less government" memes

[Eric the Green]

(01-05-2017, 09:55 PM)Warren Dew Wrote:

(01-05-2017, 01:36 PM)David Horn Wrote:

(01-03-2017, 11:08 PM)Warren Dew Wrote:

(01-03-2017, 07:10 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: We've been discussing this topic on other threads, but it deserves its own, in light of this column on the PBS Newshour website:

Column: Why we need to say goodbye to work


James Livingston

And don’t tell me that raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour solves the problem. No one can doubt the moral significance of the movement. But at this rate of pay, even at 40 hours a week — an unlikely amount in fast-food franchises — you’re still at that official poverty line. What, exactly, is the point of earning a paycheck that isn’t a living wage, except to prove that you have a work ethic?

Let's see:  $15/hour x 40 hours/week x 50 weeks/year = $30,000/year.  Federal poverty level for a single individual, 2016:  $11,880.  You could earn $10/hour and work 25 hours/week and still be above poverty level.

All this column proves is that PBS writers can't do simple arithmetic.

That's it?  Never mind the obvious fact that this is, at most, a minor detail.  The real issue is the arrival of that point it time when we are not needed.  What then?

Nobody incapable of simple arithmetic is capable of writing more than garbage regarding the mythical "end of work".

In many places you need far more than the artifically-low poverty level to make ends meet. $20,000 a year won't even pay the rent in many places.