As rioters stormed the Capitol, Trump was reportedly telling people he was glad Perdue and Loeffler

Things would have been even worse without the anti-poverty measures. Much of the "Great Society" was dismantled by Reagan and you can see what happened to the working class.

Inner city schools still, on average, get less money than suburban schools.

The achievement gap between black and white students is getting smaller.

States with unionized teachers tend to have better public schools.

Unions don't make that much difference, one way or the other. The real problem with public schools are their socialist structure.

You won't impress most black people with talk about "plantations."

 

Yes, and...? What's your point?

No, it hasn't gotten worse.

As bad as some of these programs are, black students are doing better despite the breakdown in the family unit.

BTW, I taught high school students and adults for decades. Also, I favor school vouchers providing they're for enough money that parents can secure a good education for their children without having to supplement the voucher.

 

Government-owned and contracted may be de facto socialist if the contractor is more or less dependent. I don't think a contractor like IBM or Microsoft could reasonably viewed as "socialist."

 

No, but the act of the government contracting them, for development of public services, IS "sociallst".

BTW, now is the Left's chance - with control of the WH and congress; what would your covid rescue-package look like? Trump of course wanted to send $2000 checks to everyone....splitting the Repubs right down the middle....

 

You seem to be contradicting yourself. I am referencing the government owning the means of production. The contractor simply supplies the labor. The "product" cannot be made without the Government ownership of the facility. I agree that Microsoft or IBM are NOT socialist corporations, but would be participating in a socialist enterprise in that part of their business that would be dependent on the Government ownership of the facility and raw materials necessary for the final product.

 

I believe Biden has said he's in favor of the $2000 checks. I am not sure whether or not the Republican use of the filibuster could block it in the Senate. Depends on the rules adopted at the beginning of the session. And, there may be some exception to certain revenue bills that prohibit the use of the filibuster (which, I believe would require 60 votes to overcome).

 

Trump was actually onto something when he said in 2016 (only in order to win votes, of course):
"You are living in poverty, your neighbourhoods are like war zones, your schools and hospitals are broken, your young men are in prison....."

Aren't you ashamed to be among those economists who claim the government cannot introduce a Job Guarantee?

Given that the US has the resources and productive capacity to bull-doze the inner city ghettos AND ensure job placements for everyone living there, thus eliminating all the social concomitants of economic disadvantage..

Not ideologically 'pure' enough for you?

 

How is production collectivized if a private contractor is providing the goods and services?

If I was a leftwinger like AOC or Bernie Sanders? I don't know. Probably something stupid. I doubt I would provide enough help for business. My guess? Waste a lot of money on unproductive investments.

Haven't people figured out yet that Trump is a demagogue?

We should close down every nonessential business and government service likely to spread the virus and only open them if and when we figure out how to operate them safely. Owners, employees, suppliers and creditors of those businesses should be compensated.

 

What is a "Job Guarantee?" That we guarantee workers an income? That we guarantee workers productive work?

Sure, we can "bulldoze" substandard housing, but what do you mean by "job placements?" Everyone in the inner city, regardless of their skills, gets a job? There are many people with skills so deficient they're unable to perform meaningful, productive work.

Are you okay?

 

Contractors typically provide goods and services, not just labor.

You're talking about an extremely narrow range of government production.

It depends upon what the government hires Microsoft to do. I don't see much of what Microsoft does involves working with government-owned raw materials.

 

I presume that in Microsoft's case, the government owned "raw material" would be data.

 

Democrats blame black problems on white racism. Republicans blame black problems on the Democrat plantation. I think the problem is that our economy no longer provides jobs that pay adequately for people with IQ's below 90. To benefit from a college education one probably needs at least 115. To pass a mental aptitude test qualifying one for a trade school that will teach a skilled blue collar trade one probably needs at least 90.

I write "probably" because I do not have a study to link to that verifies this. I have read it in the past. It makes sense to me. People are afraid to examine the implications of IQ differences.

 

There was a study done a number of years ago. Can't remember it's name or the book. It was generally debunked by others who pointed out that IQ test success was largely skewed culturally. I think that's pretty much the conclusion of most of academia and they have yet to find a non-biased substitute.

 

What is Microsoft making out of the data?

 

A rather sweeping generalization, but one that probably applies to most people in both political parties.

White people dominate both political parties.

Perhaps we might have it that it no longer provides enough such jobs.

Yes, no doubt, and how will things go down when artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and high-speed wireless put tens of millions of Americans out of work permanently?

 

Organizing the flow and the storage, etc. IOW organizing the data for authorized access.

 

Regardless on Trump does, all will be taken away from him permanently.

 

Not a certainty...but definitely a probability. Once he's out of office, he becomes "indictable" for all sorts of possible crimes. And, I suspect his financial situation could bring personal bankruptcy.

 

Managing data the service? Does that dame thinking apply to s government office running Windows or Office?

 

No.

 

Yes, by expanding the public sector alongside the private sector, eg nursing homes require twice the staff, straight up there a million extra jobs. etc. Are you OK?

Hint: the resources and productive capacity exist to allow creation and funding of these jobs, just not in the private sector.

There are millions of environment care jobs in parks, gardens, jobs that are needed to be done....not in the private sector. You point out the coming employment problems as AI and IT advance.

I heard very angry western country voters ("deplorables", by the look of the mob in the Capitol during the riots) claiming their sovereignty has been taken away,(and that they believe in God etc); what they are really pissed off about is the loss of good paying middle class jobs because of globalisation. That's why MAGA has such a strong appeal (sometimes with racist and xenophobic overtones)

Indeed your free market ideology, ALONE, is as deficient as claiming globalisation is the sole America's cause of problems.

And the fact remains the Fed could have saved the lives of half a million people (by the time the pandemic ends) by suspending the free market, and funding the living expenses of both essential and non-essential workers by changing the digits in their banks accounts, during the lockdown.

 

No, if you are an orthodox free market economists like yourself ….see my previous post to you.

It's not surprising you didn't offer any thoughts.

Still no thoughts on how YOU would fix the situation and pay for the rescue package? No doubt you are ashamed to say the only way, given your free market ideology, is to raise taxes or increase debt....

Many have, but at least 70 million haven't. But few have figured out that the free market, ALONE (ie, without a complementary public sector) is the cause of the current - even pre pandemic - economic malaise around the globe.

That's right , the free market should have been suspended, and treasury should be funding everyone's living expenses. It's called a planned economy, absolutely vital in a pandemic.

….so slavish adherence to the free market will have caused probably half a million deaths in the US alone, when it's all over....

 

IQ tests were designed for whites. Nevertheless, Orientals tend to perform better than whites. How can that be if the tests are culturally biased? Some of the most advanced tests require no knowledge of reading, mathematics, or even English. A space alien could take one of those tests. I suspect that he would score even better than Orientals.

Since the Army pioneered IQ testing during World War I the tests have proven their ability to predict academic and economic success. Those who claim otherwise do so for ideological reasons. They want desperately to believe, in lieu of any evidence at all, that the races are intrinsically equal.

 

I believe the study you mentioned referred to culturally biased tests. That's the only point I was making. If you have a study that shows otherwise, I'd be happy to look at it.

 

I don't want my relatives cared for by people forced take the job they have no interest in doing. We should properly fund skilled nursing facilities and let them decide who to hire.

An issue for you, not for me.

Why shouldn't private contractors do the work? And why is your priority taking care of parks instead, of say, building infrastructure or doing R&D?

Sure, I've been mentioning it...

Don't waste your time telling me what I believe.

Australia didn't suspend the free market.



Maybe the Aussies know something you don't.