Sum Ting Wong

The most useful stat is work force participation, which is now back at the level of 1978 under Jimmy Carter. As long as Americans are content with having the truth concealed from them, and do nothing to change that, people will keep on hearing the commonly-reported unemployment rate, and think, "Yeah, well, that's not that bad..."

Busboy

You are making the extremely flawed assumption that what you think might have happened...Is, in fact, what would have happened. Maybe, maybe not. My reference is to what actually did happen.

The important thing for you to remember is:

It doesn't matter what you think, if what you think doesn't matter.

Jetjok

If that's the case, it doesn't matter what you think, unless what you think is what I think. I think. At least that's how most folks here think, I think......or not.

MeXC

Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum.

chi05

Real median household income in the U.S. has shown an overall increase in the long run. Picking one example of an $80k job being replaced by a $15k job doesn't give an accurate view of the overall economy. Yes I know the unemployment numbers don't account for a lot of things, but that's a whole other discussion. The point I was trying to make was that when you look at the economy as a whole, technology does not kill jobs and it does not lead to a decrease in wages. Lots of other things do like housing bubbles bursting, bad fiscal policy, excessive risk taking on Wall Street, consumers taking out mortgages that they cannot afford, etc. These are what caused the recession, not robots stealing our jobs.

threeighteen

Adjusted to inflation?

agreed.

chi05

Yep, real median income is adjusted for inflation.

Spur

How I learned to stop worrying and love the Drone:

Beer Drone Delivery Halted By The FAA | Ubergizmo

Cubdriver

Thread resurgence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Google Unveils Project Wing.

The AP (8/28) reported that Google announced Thursday an “ambitious program” called “Project Wing,” which involves developing a “fleet of drones” to deliver packages to people on the ground. According to the article, Google has already made test flights in Australia that involved sending “a first aid kit, candy bars, dog treats, and water to two farmers.” USA Today (8/28, della Cava) called the news the start of the “drone wars” between Google and Amazon, which also announced a similar project. Because of FAA regulations, in addition to the public not being used to receiving packages in this manner, delivery by UAVs is still “the stuff of the future.” However, according to the article, “drone industry observers” believe that using UAVs in this manner is a question “of when not if.” The Washington Post (8/28, Tsukayama) “The Switch” blog similarly noted that Google is not likely to have its UAV delivery system in place for years, especially because of the current state of regulations, a “major hurdle” to overcome. Reuters (8/28, Oreskovic) reported that Google spokesman Ray Gobberg said that the company has informed the FAA of its project with the hope of finding locations in the U.S. where more test flights can take place. According to Politico (8/28, Romm), there are those who have questioned Google projects because of privacy concerns in the past, and there are similar concerns today with the use of UAVs in the national airspace. The article also noted that Amazon was criticized by Sen. Ed Markey on this exact point when it revealed its own plans. Meanwhile, an executive order on “industry best practices” is expected to be signed by President Barack Obama sometime “soon.” BBC News (8/28, Stewart) reported that Google also has a long-term goal of using the UAVs to send “aid to isolated areas” during disasters. The Wall Street Journal (8/29, Barr, Bensinger, Subscription Publication), Bloomberg News (8/29, Womack), TIME (8/28, Feeney), The Atlantic (8/28, Madrigal), the Wired (8/28, Metz) “Enterprise” blog, AdWeek (8/28, Castillo), and other media sources also covered the story.

hyperone

I agree with you about many of your points, although I'm not entirely convinced that these Amazon type drones may not become a threat within 10-15 years. But, you are mistaken if you believe that real median household income (or airline pilot pay) has increased over the last few decades. Wynton Hall at Breitbart has been extensively writing recently about the middle class struggling. There are also numerous studies and articles available to substantiate this. They include:

U.S. Wages Down 23% Since 2008

Middle Class Poorer Now than in 1984

14 Million More on Food Stamps Under Obama

Government Isn't Disclosing the True Jobless Rate

The Lost Decade of the Middle Class | Pew Research Center?s Social & Demographic Trends Project

As for technology stealing jobs, it certainly has reduced the number of cockpit jobs over the last 25 years as two-seat automated cockpits have eliminated the need for flight engineers. And as those cockpits have become more complex and difficult to manage, while increasing productivity and company efficiency, there has not been an equivalent increase in pay.

Are you old enough to remember what major airline captains lifestyles were like back in the 60's and 70's? Are any of us today able to maintain comparable lifestyles now? Airline pilot pay may have increased since the 70's, but the buying power of that increase has not kept pace with housing and other costs.