Lay-offs, rentseekers and the willing rentors

As expected, the company I work for will be starting employment negotiations in an attempt to survive the current conditions - however it will be layoffs and termination of contracts isn't being considered. Regardless, I am hoping that since I am in a position that brings in earnings, I will be able to hold on to the job, but there are no guarantees. While there is support for those who find themselves laid-off or unemployed, because I own my business, I do not qualify or at least, have to go through many more hurdles.

I have never been laid-off before, never fired and, I haven't been on social support for more than a couple months in total in my life, and that was because of my health as a teenager. I do not look forward to being out of work, so I am preparing myself for some kind of menial labor, fast food or stacking shelves, if it comes to that and of course, if they would take me.

Even with this additional threat to, I am relatively calm. What option is there, as panic and worry doesn't do anything to solve any problems, and I have a lot of challenges to meet, regardless of the conditions.

When I was a kid I was very ill and came close to death and I think at that point, I started to accept my own mortality and really start questioning the meaning of my life. The conclusion is, that there is very little meaning other than the meaning I attribute it, but what I do has ramifications for others in the world, and they may find meaning in their lives based upon something that I have done.

In my opinion, we are all in the service industry, and while many claim to serve a god, I am more practical and serve others and in so doing, serve myself. Self-serving behavior by providing value to others - which is the basis of a community and what empowers collaboration. As far as I can see, there is no selfless act, we all get something out of what we put in, or at least, all intend to get something out, even if it is a feeling or a word of gratitude for the service provided.

In my view, there is nothing wrong with getting paid for services rendered and I find this especially true for services where someone has to directly work to produce. I used to feel guilty for getting paid for my work in some way, like it was wrong to get a return on my skill and sweat - and I don't just mean my writing, as I have always had some issue getting paid. But, I have often held back content because I know it will get supported in some way.

But why?

When I play a game with my daughter I make sure she wins. I make sure she also loses. Suffering defeat is part of life and the idea that someone gets rewarded regardless of their effort or performance is a scourge on society and is doing no one any favors, least of all those who have had nothing but wins in their lives. I find the younger generations are aemotionally unbalanced and unwilling to invest in their future, and I am talking about people in their mid 20s and higher.

The world is changing and humans are being replaced by machines. Immigrants aren't stealing jobs, artificial intelligence and automation is. Some look to a universal basic income to cover the gaps, but that can only at best be a stop-gap measure that provides essentials, until a better solution can be found. Most who will receive it will learn to live off it, and create the new ghettos.

There is a suburb of Adelaide in Australia, called Elizabeth and back in the day, it had a very large English population. For a few decades, the English could move to Australia and claim both the British and Australian social security, which made for a decent monthly income at the time. And then, they cut the loophole and people could only get one. Very quickly, the area degraded as people who were used to getting something for nothing, had left themselves ,uneducated, unskilled and inexperienced - unemployment was high.

When you live off grants, you are a slave and will always be at the mercy of the issuing authority. The only way out is being able to provide for oneself, ownership. This isn't just, land and property, it is also possessing skills that are in demand and a work ethic that can use them.

How I see it is that we sell what we own and has value for that which does not. We sell our land and businesses to investors for a profit for cash, without realizing that what is happening is that a small group are consolidating all of value and the cash they exchange for it, we use to buy more products from companies that they have already invested into. As individuals we get a good deal if we are lucky to sell to an investment firm, a big house, a fancy car - but due to the conglomeration of assets, it makes it harder for the next entrepreneur to compete with the mega supply chains. While we chase dollars, they chase ownership.

You don't own your money.

What we buy with that money does make a difference however - and most of us buy what is valueless, more consumables, more disposable, more stuff that will depreciate in value almost guaranteed. While those that we buy from invest into what they suspect will appreciate and they know exactly what that is, because they have the data and they are the ones that offer the credit with which we will buy it. They take profit as owners of the companies we buy from, they take additional income from the interest we pay on the debt they carry for us. Double dipping. Triple if you count the tax avoidance measures that they perform.

Money for nothing.

The system is indeed broken, but it is not broken because of the few, it is broken because of the many. Humans are predictable and will do what supports their preference. Some prefer money, some prefer leisure. Since there are more who seek the easy path, those who want money can well provide and drive the value from the couch where the masses sit, into the pockets of the few. Piece by piece, we sell ourselves out to convenience, and think that we are getting a good deal.

We sell our land and then complain about the price of rent.

At some point we as consumers can wake up, demand differently and at that point, the rent seeker model for something for nothing collapses, and that is cataclysmic for the economy as it so stands. But what will take its place to stand in its stead?

Taraz
[ an original ]