All tagged politics
This holiday, I’m going to give thanks for American democracy, no matter how badly damaged it might be. Because whether we’re stuck in the intransigent Dutch bureaucracies of the 17th century, demanding democratic rights during the American Revolution, or fighting Nazis in everyone’s favorite war, Americans have — many times over and again — overcome impossible odds, economic exploitation, and incompetent authoritarians, to bring the future screaming into the present.
There’s something very sick at the heart of America. Something that in 2016 cost us $10,345 per person, and got us next to nothing in return. It’s a healthcare system three times as expensive as most, and achieves a life expectancy no higher than many third world countries. It is a conspiracy of profit and predatory Capitalism, driven by Adam Smith’s invisible hand.
So, let me pose you a hypothetical question: if we instituted a federal investment scheme for employee-owned startups to make them a major part of the economy, would the resulting reduction in the supply of skilled labor available to private firms cause all salaries to rise accordingly? Maybe it’s time to introduce a new gold standard, but for salaries, in which productivity and compensation are inherently linked.
