The Palinite Social Genius And Humanity Of John Edwards-A Reappraisal

Putting aside the moral failings of former vice-presidential and presidential candidate Senator John Edwards, and in what way are they any worse than Bill Clinton's, or JFK's for that matter, it is instructive to examine his core presentation to see if it had/has validity.

According to Wikipedia here are his basic tenets;

"[there] are two Americas, not one: One America that does the work, another that reaps the reward. One America that pays the taxes, another America that gets the tax breaks. One America - middle-class America - whose needs Washington has long forgotten, another America - narrow-interest America - whose every wish is Washington's command. One America that is struggling to get by, another America that can buy anything it wants, even a Congress and a president."

"And we have so much work to do in America, because all across America, there are walls ... There's a wall around Washington, D.C. The American people are, today, on the outside of that wall. And on the inside are the big corporations and the lobbyists who are working to protect a system that takes care of them. ... There is another wall that divides us. It's the moral shame of 37 million of our own people who wake up in poverty every single day This is not OK." 

Edwards formula focuses on the middle class as undergoing the main struggle in society as opposed it the wealthy who live in increasing and isolated comfort. Since those words were uttered the financial situation has gone from prosperous with an underclass to a huge struggle for the middle class and the long term unemployed.

Sarah Palin has taken up the cudgels (with her moral base intact) with her attack on "crony capitalism" and one has to wonder if the same forces that brought down Edwards (with his assistance of course) did not attempt to do the same to Palin who has survived thanks to her unimpeachable morality.

If the Establishment continues to prop up both political party's and runs the like of Mitt Romney then they may indeed have short term gains but there may well be a price to be paid-unimaginable in its fury, to the elite-and in retrospect their victories will be seen as sadly pyrrhic.

The following is an article by an economics writer Peter Lyons which addresses the burgeoning underclass which is being created and sustained by the I.T. revolution.The message is clear that unless a massive emphasis on education and retraining is undertaken there will not only be two America's but two worlds. That such a situation is untenable and could lead to at the very least an unfair society and at worst a Luddite revolution of who knows what violence. 

A Palinite emphasis on amoral and economic renewal and a massive commitment to education and retaining is vital before it is too late and so many are sunk into bitter poverty and alienation

At the start of the Industrial Revolution in England, the followers of Ned Ludd sought to destroy machines such as power looms that were driving the huge growth in output, particularly in textiles. They feared losing their jobs.

They became known as Luddites, which is a term now applied to those who resist technological change. It turns out they may have had a point.

Technological changes often create unemployment. Economists have long argued that the improvements in productivity and economic growth outweigh the loss of jobs in sectors adversely affected. Overall, society is better off because there are more goods and services being produced and increased productivity raises average incomes.

This is true in theory. However, the theory says little about how the gains from technological progress are distributed.

A large sector of a society may be shut out of the gains due to unemployment and a lack of retraining opportunities. The result is that social inequalities can magnify dramatically. A small sector of society experiences the bulk of the gains while the rest receive the crumbs.

The IT revolution's effects on employment and income distribution are starting to become pronounced. Jobs such as checkout operators, retail assistants, process workers, clerical staff, secretaries, even pilots and commercial drivers are likely to disappear through automation in the next few decades.

A recent book called Race Against the Machine by Eric Brynjolfsson and Andrew McFee explores some implications of technological change on employment and income distribution in Western societies. The authors suggest that the link between economic growth and increased employment appears to have broken down.

The term "jobless recovery" has entered the lexicon of economic jargon. Firms are using machines and computers to leverage more from fewer staff.

Unlike the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, driven by steam power then electricity and internal combustion engines, the IT revolution does not generate widespread, well-paid employment for the masses.

Compare employment and incomes generated by car factories, household appliances, meatworks, road and railway construction versus software firms, web page designers and laying fibre optic cables.

The authors point to key implications of the technology revolution on employment and incomes. It favours high-skilled workers over low-skilled. Relevant skills-based education becomes vital to earning a decent living.

It creates mega winners such as CEOs and sports and entertainment stars. Economist Robert Frank called this the "winner takes all" effect, where the skills and talents of these individuals can be broadcast to a far wider audience or client base due to improvements in IT. As a result, the pay rates of this elite have rocketed compared to others.

Finally, the technology revolution favours capital over labour. Firms can easily relocate to cheaper labour sources. They can also replace labour with machines therefore reducing the bargaining power of workers.

In most Western economies the share of national income earned as profits rather than wages has risen in recent decades.

The implications for policymakers are numerous. It is very unhealthy to have a large portion of a society shut out of the benefits of increased prosperity.

Education systems need to be flexible and relevant. Unfortunately, in many countries including New Zealand, education institutions and practices are resistant to change and accountability. There is a political stalemate between politicians, providers and unions that restricts constructive changes.

Another implication is that tax systems should favour investment in human capital in the form of training and education. Tax systems should also treat income from capital in the same manner as earned income by workers. In this brave new world, the truly wealthy make their money from gains in asset values rather than income from their labour.

IT advances offer exciting opportunities for improved prosperity, including massive environmental benefits. E books save trees. The advances benefit society in total, but the problem is how these benefits are to be shared.

Fair Use Notice

FAIR USE NOTICE:
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in an effort to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.
We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
TITLE 17 > CHAPTER 1 > § 107
§ 107. LIMITATIONS ON EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS: FAIR USE
Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.
In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include—
(1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
(2) the nature of the copyrighted work;
(3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
(4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.
Copyright issues e-mail to: 
palin4president2016@yahoo.com