[snakeoil]

The Trump campaign ran on bringing jobs back to American shores, although mechanization has been the biggest reason for manufacturing jobs’ disappearance. Similar losses have led to populist movements in several other countries. But instead of a pro-job growth future, economists across the board predict further losses as AI, robotics, and other technologies continue to be ushered in. What is up for debate is how quickly this is likely to occur.

Now, an expert at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania is ringing the alarm bells. According to Art Bilger, venture capitalist and board member at the business school, all the developed nations on earth will see job loss rates of up to 47% within the next 25 years, according to a recent Oxford study. “No government is prepared,” The Economist reports. These include blue and white collar jobs. So far, the loss has been restricted to the blue collar variety, particularly in manufacturing.

http://bigthink.com/philip-perry/47-of- ... university" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There are so many problems that we need to talk about, yet we rant about tribalism, how others should live, how we are more moral than others, how our views are right while others are wrong and so on and so on. While many dispute science, industry and our politicians have embraced it and have learned how to manipulate our thoughts and actions and bend us to their will. We need to concentrate on solving our problems in a way that benefits all.

If the above quote is true, it would be wise to start discussing our approach to this problem right now.

[snakeoil]

Here is a good illustration how we are manipulated everyday.

http://lifehacker.com/the-truth-about-t ... 1790529374" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[snakeoil]

Well, the GOP (my party) is getting ready to abolish Obamacare. After hearing so many times that the GOP will replace it with a better, cheaper plan, it appears that there is no replacement plan in the works. After 8 years of wailing and umpteen votes to repeal it, the GOP wants to just repeal the plan.

I'm no fan of Obamacare either but after 8 years you would think that the GOP would want to show the public that they can do their jobs. I asked my doctor how he liked Obamacare and he said that it had cost him about $50,000 to comply with the act.

[snakeoil]

Note to GOP:

I have not become a liberal. I am an equal opportunity ass kicker. Do your job!

[johnforbes]

The most sinister aspect of Obamacare was its goal to addict millions of people to federal guidance on health insurance.

In that, it was a success because now Repubs feel obligated.

As to a replacement, individual control with health savings accounts, an end to the individual mandate, an end to the state line problem...these things should help and are in all the Repub plans I've read about.

Will Dems criticize any and all Repub alternatives? Sure.

[elklindo69]

Insurance can be sold over state lines. There is nothing stopping them from doing so.

They just have to comply with the state regulations.

[johnforbes]

Health insurance has been one of those frustrating matters which get caught up in partisan politics.

E.g., there was probably fairly wide agreement re pre-existing conditions. Also keeping kids on parental insurance until some age. Twenty-six seemed a bit much -- millions of men are in the military at 18 -- but some age could have been agreed upon.

It was a big mistake for Dems to ram through Obamacare on a purely partisan basis, and to lie re keep your doctor, keep your plan, be deficit-neutral, reduce average costs $2500, etc.

These were lies, and they were needless lies because they were destined to be exposed in the near term. As they were.

[snakeoil]

Record 95.1 million Americans not in the labor force. The challenge of having an army of non-working adults.

http://www.mybudget360.com/not-in-labor ... n-america/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

One of our many problems. But...we concentrate on petty politics and ways to make the rich even richer. I saw a TV program about selling jets to the rich. A guy was buying a $2.5 million jet so that his daughter could fly her friends around to vacation spots. Remember that a pilot and co-pilot and a maintenance crew are needed for a jet this size.

[snakeoil]

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-2 ... labor-forc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"The Travesty Is We Have 23.5 Million Americans Aged 25-To-54 Outside The Labor Force"

Some observations on recent negative trends in productivity, employment mismatch, and labor training and education from the increasingly more bearish David Rosenberg, who notes that the Trump's proposed policies may end up helping growth on the margins, but fail to focus on what is really important, making tens of millions of US workers competitive and qualified for today's jobs market.

From Breakast with Rosie, via Gluskin Sheff

I don't think we have a productivity problem — in fact, the demise of productivity is vastly overstated and that is because the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is likely vastly overstating labor input, and I’m talking here about how hours worked are estimated.

But the real travesty, and what I think deserves top priority (but I don’t see it), is that we have, in addition to 7.5 million officially unemployed (a number that is closer to 15 million when all the hidden unemployment is accounted for), 23.5 million Americans aged 25-to-54 who reside outside the confines of the labor force. And at a time when job openings are at record highs.

The problem is that unqualified applicants for these openings also are at a record high. The number of jobs available that are not being filled because the skill set is absent is at an unprecedented level — and this was an overriding theme in the latest edition of the Fed's Beige Book.

The question is what is in the policy playbook to redress this situation?

What we need is a policy playbook that makes education, apprenticeship and training a major priority — the one plank that I had hoped would be yanked out of Bernie Sanders' platform.

While deregulation and simplifying the tax code obviously are constructive segments of the Trump plan, they are not the most important obstacles in the way of growth. Neither is globalization.

Even the most ardent ''supply-sider" would admit that labor input is key to the outlook and this should really be at the top of the agenda — closing the widening and unprecedented gap between job openings and new hiring. There simply is no replacement for excellent education achievement with respect to maximizing labor productivity.

I see scant attention being paid to this file — surely this is more important than U.S. involvement in Brexit or trying to play a role in breaking up the European Union, don't you think?