With a new government in town, now is the time for big changes, which will get people thinking about good things instead of trying to destroy our democracy. Healthcare or Medicare should be for all, climate change has to be addressed and minimum wage of at least $24 to keep up with inflation or implementation of a universal basic income of $2,000 to supplement people’s incomes and stimulate the economy.
This needs to be done now for by 2040 or sooner the 2.7 million truck drivers will be replaced by driverless trucks, and it will be up to the civilians to stay out of the way of these driverless vehicles, according to a recent NPR story. Vending machines are already taking the place of some stops and self-check-out lanes are taking the place of cashiers. Two million jobs were lost in human resources, finance and information technology and new research software means a single lawyer can now do the work of five hundred lawyers. There are fewer secretaries, file clerks, telephone operators, travel agents and bank tellers.
With all these jobs lost, we may find our people unemployed or underemployed, working part time on zero-hour contracts, working in a gig economy with very little spending power, no matter what happens to the job market.
This is not new. The Romans used to give free bread to its poor people. It was a way to keep people’s minds busy and their bellies full to prevent any sort of uprising.
Today, we could use the same thing to start rebuilding our country. We need to close the gap between the rich and poor, and we have to show the people something good or they will destroy our country. Changing things for the majority of people will go a long way saving this country, affordable housing, enough money to more than live on, healthcare coverage, jobs and reining in the lax environmental laws that Trump implemented for his corporate cronies.
I hope that I am wrong, but what I see at this time is our unions are going to be in the fight of their existence. This is the most perilous time of our life. The life we had is threatened like never before. Unions are the largest organized group of people who can save our country if things keep going the way they are heading at this time. We need to all stand together for power, but we each must prepare and plan to take care of ourselves and our families. We can fight the big fight and not be distracted by worry about things that can and should already be taken care of. For instance, stashing at least one month’s pay and at least a month or even a year’s worth of food, whether the food is staples (pasta, rice, canned goods) and meat or chicken in the freezer. Keep your vehicles' tanks full and if possible a gas can full. It’s in your best interest to also save money for house or rent payments plus extra. This is not new thinking for us old trade workers who had to prepare when...
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