A post I did awhile back commented on the Chinese intending to double down on the increase of robots in all aspects of production. The thrust of the post what that this was, in effect, a Chinese effort to skip having a significant percentage of the population being a "middle" class as we did; largely, one might argue not only because Henry Ford started the idea of living wage, but also because collective bargaining (purchased with great sacrifice by large numbers of very desperate working people) gave labor a lever large enough to keep a seat at the tables of power.
Now that skill sets can be nothing more than clever algorithms in computer memories that lever has shrunk considerably; a fact made obvious as collective bargaining hasn't found a way to bridge borders, or technological change. As such our middle class has suffered accordingly. And even after decades of trying supply side economics, which clearly does nothing to allow for more people to actually afford more things, a great deal of the "Supply" side dynamic is still part of our economic policy. Is it any wonder, then, that the sad statistics of wealth and income distribution show such lopsided accumulations?
And now the world's most populous country is proposing to follow in our footsteps. This can only be thought of as disastrous madness following on maddening disaster. If there were ever a time that this nation needed to lead by example it is now. And in more ways than simply changing from "Supply Side" to "Demand Side" economics.
The bottom line here is that Billions upon Billions of people need to be shown a better way to obtain a rightfully significant gain in material well being, and they are not just of one nationality. Who else in this insane world could muster the audacity, as well as move past burdensome history, as well as we have shown the capability for? Who else has been nearly so willing to reinvent itself when it was needed than we have been, with the added capacity to put creativity, as well as the will to achieve, where it really needs to be?
The only thing we've been lacking of late is a truly comprehensive shared vision; a vision that integrates the practical with the spiritual, and a deeper connection to the complex web of life. Just remember: Americans with a shared vision are a force of nature, and if we can understand ourselves within our connection to nature we can be a positive force of change for both.
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