No Crumbs

Aside from a moral obligation to treat workers well and pay them a living wage, there’s nothing to prevent more companies from jettisoning full-time employees and shifting to lower-paid gig workers.
They’d just be following what has been happening for decades in other fields.  Just as manufacturing shifted overseas for cheaper labor and as gig economy apps drove down wages for taxi and delivery drivers, the pandemic has hastened the gig-ification of white-collar jobs.  The gig economy might have been a crowded space before COVID-19, but the booming economy masked its workers’ struggles because many of them could find other jobs to supplement their income.  Now, that extra work has dried up, and their desperation is more evident than ever.  When gig work is the only pie that’s available to millions of people, sharing it means that some don’t even get crumbs.
—    Alana Semuels
In her article: “As the gig economy grows, its workers’ paychecks shrink“
In: Time Magazine, dtd: 1-8 June 2020
This article also appears online with a different title: “‘It’s a Race to the Bottom.’ The Coronavirus is Cutting Into Gig Worker Incomes as the Newly Jobless Flood Apps“
The specific link is: https://time.com/5836868/gig-economy-coronavirus/
You may have to go through a paywall to view the online article.
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On This Day In:
2019	Or In This Case – What’s Wrong
2018	Just Passing Through
2017	True Torture
	Happy Thanksgiving – 2017 !!
2016	Overtaken
2015	Alone Praying
2014	A Full Man
2013	Off Defending The Universe
	Taking Precautions
2012	Never, Never, Never
2011	Testing 1, 2, 3

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An Approaching Disgrace

I believe racism in America is about fear and economic opportunity.  The fear is the fear of “others”.  Those not like us.  Those not from around here.  Them.  I believe there is a natural tendency in humans to bond with those we are near and associate with.  Call it localism, nationalism, tribalism or some other kind of “groupism” and it still results in the same thing – “us” against “them”.  This tendency is played upon and magnified by those who seek to “control” the majority of Americans – the majority who just want to get on with their lives, get ahead a little financially and raise a family.  The tactic is to divide and conquer and, as I mentioned previously, race is one easy way of dividing people who might otherwise find common cause.
There is a perception in modern society that we can’t ALL have great jobs – whatever “great jobs” means.  That may be correct.  But, we should all be able to work hard for a living wage.  Note, I said “living wage”, not “minimum wage”.  “Work hard” means more than just showing up, although that is a very important part of working hard.  It also means giving your best effort during the time you are working.  It normally means using your brains as well as your muscles.
I question this perception / belief / assumption.  I believe we can all earn a living wage.  We are not all going to be “rich”, but I believe our nation is unique in its ability to fund equal opportunity.  I’m not sure we always had this ability, but I certainly believe we do now.  I believe we are moving into a post-industrial (post-standardized, post-mass produced) world where the benefits of industrial scaling are beginning to decrease and the benefits of limited, customized, specialized manufacturing are starting to dominate.  On top of that, we are now better able to use technology to make very specific (small scale) manufacturing cost effective for the majority of products.  And finally, a significant portion of the economy is now purely digital, meaning: it isn’t consumed by use.
There is a saying that a smile is something you can give away freely and never have less of.  This is what we are approaching with an economy based on digital use without consumption.  The trick will be the distribution of wealth and opportunity for economic advancement.  It will be a disgrace to see race rather than ability as the determinant factor in distribution.
[The above is an excerpt from a book review I posted back in 2011.  The specific post is located here: https://kmabarrett.wordpress.com/2011/05/22/sir-charles/
The original posting was from “way back when” and I had almost no followers.  I just re-read the original and the above seemed (to me) to bear repeating…
—  KMAB]
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On This Day In:
2017	Liberty, Collusion, History And The Republican Majority
2016	But I Have Too Many Questions
2015	A New Friend
2014	Do I Have To Fall In Love?
2013	More Democracy, Please
2012	Speaking Of Love
2011	Limits

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Democratic Beliefs (for the next President)

We believe that Wall Street needs stronger rules and tougher enforcement, and we’re willing to fight for it.
We believe in science, and that means that we have a responsibility to protect this Earth.
We believe that the Internet shouldn’t be rigged to benefit big corporations, and that means real net neutrality.
We believe that no one should work full-time and still live in poverty, and that means raising the minimum wage.
We believe that fast-food workers deserve a livable wage, and that means that when they take to the picket line, we are proud to fight alongside them.
We believe that students are entitled to get an education without being crushed by debt.
We believe that after a lifetime of work, people are entitled to retire with dignity, and that means protecting Social Security, Medicare, and pensions.
We believe — I can’t believe I have to say this in 2014 — we believe in equal pay for equal work.
We believe that equal means equal, and that’s true in marriage, it’s true in the workplace, it’s true in all of America.
We believe that immigration has made this country strong and vibrant, and that means reform.
And we believe that corporations are not people, that women have a right to their bodies.  We will overturn Hobby Lobby and we will fight for it.  We will fight for it!
—    Elizabeth Warren
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On This Day In:
2013	And Go Now!
2012	A World Safe For Diversity
2011	What If I Don’t Want To?
2009	Restful Sunday and a Movie About Boys’ Dolls (Action Figures)

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