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Portentous changes to the work economies of India and the USA due to job automation by machines and robots continue to make headlines. Varieties of hardware and software automation are seeing implementation burgeon in both countries, as companies seek efficiency by replacing humans with machines. Wage erosion in areas previously unaffected by automation - including varieties of programming - is getting commoner while new, albeit highly specialized, engineering jobs are created. Both articles encourage educational changes mindful of these realities, though how colleges either side of the world can adapt to the blistering pace of automation is unclear.
The latest tranche of job automation news comes hot on the heels of Davos' prediction that machine automation will result in a net loss globally of over 5 million jobs prior to 2020.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday February 16 2016, @09:12PM
From the property that does have clear ownership and does pay its taxes.
So what's your theory again? Why wouldn't they grab the abandoned property (with it's lack of collected taxes) and sell it off to someone who will pay them even more of those taxes they like so much? You seem to have veered into the weeds here.
For example, I read that 16% [businessinsider.com] of Balitmore's property is abandoned. Sure, it's going to be lower quality due to lack of maintenance and whatnot, but that's still going to depress the sales price of the 84% of the property that does pay its taxes. And Baltimore's property tax revenue is proportional to the sales price of its property. Hence, there is a strong incentive to keep that property off the market in order to keep property tax revenue up.
Owning unproductive real estate is it's own reward.
This hasn't abated the condition in the slightest.
I don't see a reason to be concerned. Such things can't go on forever.
What relevant problem do distributors and commodities traders matter for again?
They jack up prices and foil your desire to drag the cost of living down to 3rd world levels. By the time the traders and distributors get their teeth in it, that $2 item from China is selling for $20 on the shelf. I'm not saying that none of them add any value, but too many add too little for what it costs.
So no relevant problem.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Tuesday February 16 2016, @09:31PM
So no relevant problem.
Only if your offered "solution" wasn't sincere and you really do expect people to make 3rd world wages with a 1st world cost of living.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday February 17 2016, @06:56AM
Only if your offered "solution" wasn't sincere and you really do expect people to make 3rd world wages with a 1st world cost of living.
I obviously don't agree. And let's face it, distributors and commodities traders aren't inflating Chinese goods by a factor of ten because that is a chain of highly competitive markets from the source manufacturer all the way to the retailer selling it to the end customer.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Wednesday February 17 2016, @07:10AM
It is awfully close to a factor of 10. Check out some Chinese websites and do the math. Look at the "knock-offs" that are actually the same product produced on the same line after hours.