The Great Con

There aren't going to be any jobs.

Did you read Farhad Manjoo's article in yesterday's "New York Times"? All about Amazon's distribution, now moving to drones? If you get your package via drone, and the costs drop as distribution becomes more efficient, not only do all those delivery people lose their gigs, and the people in the warehouse, which runs on robots, too, but so do the people in physical retail, which can no longer compete.

Sounds good, very efficient, BUT WHERE IS EVERYBODY SUPPOSED TO WORK!

The good news is you can have instant access to products at a cheap price.

The bad news is you can't afford to buy anything.

Been to a mall recently? Absolutely horrifying. There's no one there! I went to the Westside Pavilion for a movie and the place was empty and half the food stalls had closed and I know that's anecdotal, but look at Nordstrom's numbers and Macy's too, the latter is closing so many stores...

But you hear the canard that manufacturing must come back to America. That people need to be put back to work at high-paying jobs.

But I hate to tell you, even if they open those factories most of the jobs will be automated, never mind what labor there is driving costs up untenably. Do you want to pay more for a flat screen so Americans can go back to work? We live in the least altruistic society ever, it's all about me, all the damn time, no one wants to sacrifice. If you think people care about poor musicians, you probably didn't live through Napster, as for YouTube...the public LOVES IT!

And it gets worse... The triumphant companies making more money with fewer people are dominating in a way that will ultimately hurt the little guy.

Kind of like Apple Music, overpaying for exclusives. Myopic musicians like the cash. No fan ever liked an exclusive. But, the truth is there are no exclusives for developing artists, certainly not those who are not major label priorities. It's going to be harder to make it. If Apple Music with no free tier succeeds it'll be good for the top line performers, but bad for those on the bottom.

The winner take all economy is leaving the rest of us out. It's not only Facebook decimating MySpace, there's room for less art, you can make it, but no one will see it.

And it's only gonna get worse. Elizabeth Warren castigates the Silicon Valley titans for their egregious behavior, but the two candidates running do not.

And right now it looks like Hillary's gonna win.

So it's gonna be the same as it ever was. With the rank and file losing out. Remember when the rank and file bitched and started the Occupy movement? It's the media that killed it, saying there was no message. Oh, there's a message all right. The oligarchs and the monopolists are making life hard for the rest of us. They give us free products in exchange for our privacy and expect us to be happy. And if we dare to push back, with Adblock Plus, they cry foul.

Let's not even get into Trump. He's a bozo who's left rationality behind. But one thing's for sure, his supporters are angry.

It's this anger, on both the left and the right, that should be addressed.

But it's not.

Because the educated winners who made their own bucks feel entitled and don't want to give up anything and they've convinced the underclass that the problem is not them, but the supposed "takers." And if the rich pay more in taxes, what's gonna happen when you become rich? Even though the odds are low, it's this dream that keeps you moving forward.

The discussion is all wrong. It shouldn't be about immigration or trade... We should acknowledge the change in our society, how it's become automated, and we should ask how we lift up all players, give them a platform to survive and hopefully thrive.

But no, you're not making it because you're just not working hard enough. Even though I had rich parents who gave me not only tutors, but flew me around the world to show me how the other half lives. And then I worked hard to get into a good school and... I started my own business and made a billion. I'M ENTITLED TO IT! I'M SMART AND YOU'RE NOT!

And you're frustrated and on drugs since my buddies at the pharmaceutical company forced supposedly non-addictive Oxy down your throat and now you've switched to heroin and...

It's not a level playing field folks. And those in the media are envious of the billionaires, which is why Henry Blodgett started "Business Insider," so he could sell it, why Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher left the "Wall Street Journal" so they too could become rich... Either you've won and have circled the wagons or you're one of the small cadre with a chance of succeeding because of your relationships and status or...

You're completely left out, like you and me.

Think about it.

"Think Amazon's Drone Delivery Idea Is a Gimmick? Think Again": http://goo.gl/Lwlv2r?utm_source=phplist5523&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=The+Great+Con


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