Friday, July 24, 2015

My podcast for Friday, May 24. Joe Firestone. Matt Franko calls in, too!



My podcast for July 24, 2015. Joe Firestone. Matt Franko.



Joe's book is entitled, "Declarations of Dependence: Trade Tyranny, Sovereignty, and Democracy."

Buy Joe's book!

6 comments:

Matt Franko said...

Mike all I did was follow the directions on the post...

Called the number and entered the first number..

Then the system queried me for some sort of PIN or ID number (which I don't have...) or else it said I could just press 1 and pound symbol.. which I did and it put me right thru to the conversation...

The Ap seemed to Work pretty well (might have dropped the caller from Cali ?)

I used my cell (was commuting...) worked well for me.. held the call, etc..

Seems a good way to introduce some 'spontaneity' or 'live!' type media to your offerings going forward...

rsp,

mike norman said...

Came out great. Thanks for your participation. Don't know who called from Cali.

Jake C said...

Job guarantee to match the demand leakage caused by a trade deficit.
Jobs that are useful and support projects that improve living standards,like scientific R&D,clean energy infrastructure, transport infrastructure, improving mass transit systems,industrial and human waste recycling, public education+healthcare(free),social care,elderly care.+the training and education to upskill all the low and mid level skilled people to do all of the above.

But my thing with the JG is how does the government find something useful for a low skilled worker who isn't suited for construction or social care to do.that advances the public purpose or improves living standards.

A lot of JG advocates just say,"oh get them to look after the elderly or vulnerable "
But I think these kind of jobs are already undervalued and underpayed and they require a certain particular skill set and instinctive compassion which is NOT commonplace.These type of jobs infact require stringent vetting and increased pay.These jobs involving people care(elderly,disabled) require skills sets which are hard to come by in the general public and are not appropriate To the public without training and vetting.

How does a job guarantee not just end up creating and subsidising pointless jobs.

The jobs in a JG would be so political as it would be hugely influential on the rest of the economy.
The management of the JG programmes would have to be under constant surveillance and open to democratic change to prevent the JG from becoming a workfare programme which provides cheap labour to private interests,either directly or indirectly (eg.cost of recylying industrial waste should be a corporate burden not subsidised by a well intentioned JG programme)

These JG work programmes will have huge effects on the rest of economy

Matt Franko said...

"either directly or indirectly "

inta, it's going to help those interests at least indirectly....

The left has to get over this fear .... The fear of this is probably no small part of why the left is currently ineffective and seemingly impotent...

Fear is what is currently holding back the left...

Rsp,

Peter Pan said...

But I think these kind of jobs are already undervalued and underpayed and they require a certain particular skill set and instinctive compassion which is NOT commonplace.These type of jobs infact require stringent vetting and increased pay.These jobs involving people care(elderly,disabled) require skills sets which are hard to come by in the general public and are not appropriate To the public without training and vetting.

You've hit on a significant issue. Unpleasant jobs are often necessary jobs, even in our supposedly high tech economy. Whether it's caring for the elderly, or stocking shelves in a store, someone has to do these tasks. In the former case, there are ethical considerations, as those unsuited to such work may end up abusing the elderly. Which is exactly what has happened, due to lack of vetting by unscrupulous employers.

Jake C said...

@Matt
I would be dead set against a JG programme which directly benefittedprivate interest.why would the private sector employ anyone in that case,if they can get cheap free labour.

And even indirectly,what would be the point,in the example of cleaning up industrial waste...why not just force the company to do the cleaning/recylying and get it to employ the workers... Decreasing unemployment.

The point of a JG is that when the private sector grows it can employ the surplus labour (at preferably higher rates than a living wage).if you start providing cheap labour to private interests,you'll see companies firing people to save on labour costs.

Case in point, some anecdotal evidence: a friend told me he had worked at McD's,was made redundant then went on the sole,then was forced to go on a workfare programme to receive to dole money(less than half his former wages)....working at...McD's.something isn't right there at all.

But I still can't think what exactly would the JG could get workers to do that would be useful.
Or how it would work in practice in detail.

@Bob yeah social care etc is not an appropriate industry/sector to absorb surplus low-mid level skill labour.It need to be highly regulated,licensed and highly paid.