You are viewing a single comment's thread from:

RE: Against Anti-Abortionism

in #abortion6 years ago

Kind of off subject from your point in this article but in your third objection section you mention wanting a job guarantee / full-employment program. David Graeber makes a good argument that the political motivation for full-employment is the reason that there are so many bullshit jobs. There isn't enough real work because of automation and jobs are created that shouldn't exist where people do nothing but have to pretend to do stuff so they get paid. No sure if you've read any of his work on bullshit jobs, but just something to consider on that point.

Sort:  

I'm familiar with Graeber's work. His latest book on "Bullshit Jobs" is on my current reading list.

I would just say that "full-employment" is a relative term. It means that everyone that wants and needs a job can find one. I'm also an advocate of universal basic income and of transhumanism. I think that everything that can be automated should be automated and that the necessity of work should be eliminated over time.

One thing to note about the job guarantee proposal, as put forth by modern money theorists, is that it only works as planned if the new jobs are all productive jobs rather than bullshit jobs. According to MMT, such a program will not cause inflation if, and only if, it increases the nation's wealth proportionally to the government spending involved. So, the new jobs need to be productive jobs, preferably focused on improving infrustructure and advancing green technology.

To be clear though, the job guarantee is just a bandaid, not a solution.