The lady who drove a Mercedes to pick up food vouchers.

[Welsh cake]

Remember...this phenomena of the state dole is only going to grow because automation is rendering human labor obsolete......and that's not a bad thing.

You're right, its not a bad thing.

Its a terrible thing.

Its toxic - its basically creating a *culture* of benefits. The country imports everything and exports nothing. And whatever work is required is relied upon by outsourcing it to foreign countries. Living costs soar. Wages fall. The economy stagnates and hits rock bottom. People are relying on welfare, as opposed to working for a living.

Skills of the manufacturing trade are being lost, heck the generation itself is being lost.

No one knows how to work or build anything anymore.

Don't be surprised one bit if your children or grand children end up on the dole. The day is coming where just about everyone will enjoy and awesome lifestyle without the need to work.....we just don't want that lifestyle managed by big brother.

Are you being satirical? I jolly well hope so.

You do realise what will happen next don't you?

The government starts cutting people's benefits - they can no longer afford to live or pay their rent. Then the poor really get f**ked by the ruling classes.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

A 2003 Merc Kompressor can be picked up for less than £3k depending on mileage.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/search/used/...rt/default

Just because it's a Merc doesn't mean it's automatically a 'luxury' car and hence juxtaposed against someone who is destitute and in need of assistance.

[Bibliofagus]

A 2003 Merc Kompressor can be picked up for less than £3k depending on mileage.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/search/used/...rt/default

Just because it's a Merc doesn't mean it's automatically a 'luxury' car and hence juxtaposed against someone who is destitute and in need of assistance.

Over here in Holland many lower class people drive older mercs, as well as BMW's and Volvo's. Cars that last are a good investment.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

A 2003 Merc Kompressor can be picked up for less than £3k depending on mileage.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/search/used/...rt/default

Just because it's a Merc doesn't mean it's automatically a 'luxury' car and hence juxtaposed against someone who is destitute and in need of assistance.

Over here many poorer people drive older mercs. Cars that last are a good investment.

Yup, you're right. It's a false economy to swap a car you've had for x amount of years (and thus probably owe nothing on) for one that will net you some money from the sale of the previous car but a load of problems when it comes to its MOT or service.

[Rev. Rye]

I can't help but be reminded of this classic incident from Ol' Dirty Bastard's career: Shortly after the release of his first solo album, He picked up food stamps in a limo accompanied by an MTV news crew.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrvnLpLjTuA

[Jaysyn]

This is however, a good example of why should toss out all these government aid programs and replace them with a universal basic income or negative income tax. There is no reason to think this woman would not have purchased the formula her babies needed if she was given money instead of vouchers.

Looks like Switzerland is trying this out. Hope it works out for them.

---

I can't help but be reminded of this classic incident from Ol' Dirty Bastard's career: Shortly after the release of his first solo album, He picked up food stamps in a limo accompanied by an MTV news crew.

He was still in the system. He couldn't have done it two months later.

---

Complete automation could be the greatest or worst thing that will happen to civilization, but it's only going to be what we make it. Anyone who has their heads in the sand regarding automation & what it will inevitably do to our society needs to read Manna post-haste.

“The factory of the future will have only two employees, a man and a dog. The man will be there to feed the dog. The dog will be there to keep the man from touching the equipment.”

[Mister Agenda]

Remember...this phenomena of the state dole is only going to grow because automation is rendering human labor obsolete......and that's not a bad thing.

You're right, its not a bad thing.

Its a terrible thing.

Its toxic - its basically creating a *culture* of benefits. The country imports everything and exports nothing.

Why would a country with advanced automation need to import more? Currently, we haven't reduced our manufacturing capacity, just the number of people it takes to do it.

And whatever work is required is relied upon by outsourcing it to foreign countries.

Um, whatever work is required is done by robots or other advanced automation. Perhaps you are not following how advanced the advanced automation Heywood is talking about is presumed to be. Foriegn laborers will not be able to compete with what's coming.

Living costs soar.

They shouldn't, advanced automation will make almost every product much less expensive due to reduced labor costs. It may even put small communities or even individuals in control of their own means of production, where they can make almost anything out of energy and raw materials.

Wages fall. The economy stagnates and hits rock bottom. People are relying on welfare, as opposed to working for a living.

This is a real possibility. I'd like to think it can be avoided, that a Star Trek future where people's common material needs are met for free and self-fulfillment is the rule, is possible. And maybe it is. Intelligent machines are electronics and electronics gets less expensive over time. When the common person has that kind of intelligence at their fingertips, they'll come up with things I can't imagine...maybe an economy based on creativity and social connection.

Skills of the manufacturing trade are being lost, heck the generation itself is being lost.

No one knows how to work or build anything anymore.

Not many people know how to make buggy whips anymore, either. Why should they?

You do realise what will happen next don't you?

The government starts cutting people's benefits - they can no longer afford to live or pay their rent. Then the poor really get f**ked by the ruling classes.

Why? That is, why would they do something so cruel for so little gain? And how can they accomplish this in a system where the 'ruled' class has most of the votes? I think you presume too much evil, the moustache-twirling 'let's starve the impoverished scum as soon as we get the chance!' types are actually pretty rare. Democracy gives us SOME kind of balance: the elites can't be TOO blatant or we'll deprive them of power. It's in their best interest to at least keep us in bread and circuses.

[Welsh cake]

Mister Agenda, if what you say is true, please explain to me why the UK is doing rather poorly lately with automation?

Please explain why industry is packing up and going abroad where its cheaper?

I don't understand anymore. We've gone from being a major superpower, a big f**king empire, to America's little puppet at best, and a laughing stock, a relic, at worst, as far as the EU, China and Russia are concerned.

http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/featur...ritainbust

http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/cult...al-decline

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-13/ko...on/5256662

You can't tell me automation hasn't played its role in our industrial decline. well, I mean you can, but unless you account for all of the changes and vast unemployment, social and economic woes, I'm not going to accept it.

[The Grand Nudger]

advanced automation will make almost every product much less expensive due to reduced labor costs. It may even put small communities or even individuals in control of their own means of production, where they can make almost anything out of energy and raw materials.

Which makes a prediction of some future government welfare state based upon such advanced automation a non-starter. Who is the government taxing, and what are they taxing (in order to foot the welfare bill) - when anyone could simply create what they required with their own privately controlled means of production? Further, if they have such means - what would the welfare be needed for - even if they had the fund to accomplish it, which, as above...I don't see how they would.

If, just as an example, the government were to tax energy (wondering where the user would get the funds to pay the tax still......)commensurate with a rate that would allow for some basic income to citizens - why not cut out the automated middleman, and just have the people continue to perform those functions and receive that wage for that service?

That sort of automation is not the beginning of a welfare state - but the end of money (possibly even the end of commerce by any means), and thusly the end of any need for welfare. Everybodies all good, the robots have "got this"
(Somebody please say they've read some Ian Banks...lol?)

@Welsh
Automation stands in direct opposition to human welfare at present from the view of the worker at ground level, but only insomuch as we are currently wedded to other principles- which are themselves the ultimate source of the issue to begin with. Automation could lead to other things, it's just that we're currently not interested in (or capable of) pursuing them.

[Jaysyn]

Somebody please say they've read some Ian Banks...lol?

I've read "Consider Phlebas". The Culture seems like a pretty good example of a benevolent post-scarcity society. I have a few more Culture novels other in que on my tablet, but haven't gotten around to them yet.

Have you read Manna?

BTW Rhythm, I found you some new farm hands. Even the migrant workers here in the US won't be immune to the effects of automation. We, as a country, need a forward-thinking plan.