Tim Gurner, the viral Australian multimillionaire who wants more workers to be unemployed, was debunked by an economist in 1943.

  • MidwestComrade
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    9 months ago

    it’s not stupid; having a “reserve army of labor” of desperate people in unemployment willing to work for less than employed people is intentional.

    Having all these people desperate to work for less wages than already-employed people do serves to drive down wages and therefore drive up profits for the employer class

    • bob_wiley@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      It’s hard for profits to rise when people don’t have money to spend.

      Henry Ford pushed the 40 hour work week main stream and raised wages. Why? Because for people to buy cars they needed money to buy the cars and use on trips, and time to spend going places after work or on the weekends.

      Unemployed and underpaid people aren’t going to be buying many products. Having a pool of slaves is no good when there isn’t a pool of consumers to sell to.

      Cost cutting as a means to profitability can only go so far. Growth really has no limits.

      • HubertManne@kbin.social
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        9 months ago

        Part of it is wealth disparity. Basic necessities take up a lot of the average persons income and they canot afford to higher someone like themselves to do things while those of great wealth can hire many with at most trivial impact to their income. It does not help that so few are involved in food production now so much of the disparity is disparity in production of necessities.

      • guyrocket@kbin.social
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        9 months ago

        I think there are strong arguments in favor of the working class needing better balance right now.

        You’re right. The middle class is still hurting. It really should shake loose more of the top’s wealth via union strikes, quiet quitting, etc.

    • TurtleJoe@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      This is also the real reason why conservatives are again pushing to do away with child labor restrictions in the US. If a child is allowed to do the job for a lower wage, it lowers the wage for adults, too.

        • TurtleJoe@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          IMO, abortion restrictions are about reducing women’s independence, and keeping society patriarchal. That and keeping white people the majority.

          It’s just a happy coincidence that it could result in more poor people who are desperate to take any job, although infant mortality is up in abortion restricted states post Roe, so it may not quite work out that way.