Street roots., February 23, 2018, Page 11, Image 11

Street Roots • Feb. 23-March 1, 2018
Navigating the course in a chutes-and-ladders economy
s p o n s o re d h e a lth c o v e ra g e is an in sa n e id e a ,
BY MEGAN WILDHOOD
e s p e c ia lly u n d e r a g o v e r n m e n t th a t, th o u g h
C O N T R IB U T IN G C O L U M N IS T
b a sic a lly a c o rp o ra tio n its e lf, p la n s n o t to
I
f y o u ’re fe e lin g s h u t o ff fro m th e
p ro v id e h e a lth c a re , b u t rip it fro m as m an y
w o rk fo rce , m e a n in g fu l c a re e r
p e o p le as p o s s ib le to “ p r o te c t” th e r ic h .
a d v a n c e m e n t, o r th e ab ility to fin d a
N o w fo r th e irk s o m e stu ff. M o s t o f th e
to le ra b le , livab le-w age jo b an d y o u fe e l you
tim e , th e lite ra l re p e titio n s o f te x t fro m
are to b la m e fo r it, y o u m ig h t b e a
e a rlie r p a rts in th e b o o k w e re h e lp fu l, sin ce
m ille n n ia l.
to u n d e rsta n d c e r ta in s e c tio n s , y o u n e e d e d
G e r a ld D a v is ’ n ew b o o k , “ T h e V a n ish in g
m o re o f a b a c k g ro u n d in e c o n o m ic s o r
A m e r ic a n C o rp o ra tio n : N a v ig a tin g th e
fin a n cia l th e o r y th a n I h a v e . T h e y w e re also
H a z a rd s o f a N e w E c o n o m y ,” d o e s a g o o d
d is tra c tin g , th o u g h ; o n e w o n d e rs if th e e x a c t
jo b o f e x p la in in g w hy. (S p o ile r a le rt: I t ’s
s a m e s e n te n c e on p a g e s 12 an d 94 w as
a ctu a lly n o t y o u r fa u lt.)
b o o k , y o u co u ld also
in te n tio n a l.
D a v is ’ d is c u s s io n o f s ilv e r lin in g s fe lt a b it
file it u n d e r c a re e r
th in , a t tim e s g r a s p in g . O p e n -s o u rc e
a d v ice th a t’s a ctu a lly
so ftw are an d th e ra d ica l e a s e o f
h e lp fu l. P e rh a p s th e
m a n u fa c tu rin g ca n m ay b e b e b e n e fic ia l,
re a so n s u c h a g e n re
e x c e p t th a t all th e o p p o rtu n itie s fo r an yo n e
co m b in a tio n is n ’t
w ith a c a r an d a s m a rtp h o n e to b e c o m e
co m m o n is b e c a u s e w e
m icro -e n tre p re n e u rs are av ailab le o n ly to
live in , as D a v is ca lls it,
p e o p le w ith a n e rv o u s s y s te m th a t can
a ch u tes-an d -lad d ers
h a n d le h u stlin g all d ay e v e r y day w ith o u t a
e co n o m y . R e m e m b e r
b re a k fo r u su a lly le s s th a n m in im u m w a g e,
th a t g a m e yo u lik e ly
n o b e n e fits and n o t e v en th e le g a l p ro te ctio n
p la ye d as a kid w h e re
th a t c o m e s w ith th e sta tu s o f “ e m p lo y e e .”
y o u ro lle d th e d ice and
A ls o , as a w riter, it ’s fru s tra tin g th a t h e
if y o u la n d e d o n a
d o e s n ’t o n c e m e n tio n all th e s e am a zin g
sq u a re w ith a kid
c o n v e n ie n c e s o f te c h n o lo g ic a l a d v a n ce m e n t
re a d in g a b o o k o r
and o p en -so u rce so ftw are th a t are d estro yin g
h e lp in g an e ld e rly
m u s ic ia n s ’ and w r ite r s ’ ab ility to m ak e
p e rso n c ro ss th e s tre e t
a n y th in g like a liv in g w ith th e ir craft.
W h ile it m ig h t lo o k lik e an e c o n o m ic s
11
B iiS H W
G
CORPORATION
ÂWGÀTW TH£ RÁXÁ&tíí
>>£' O? Â NOT ECONOMY
“The Vanishing
American
Corporation:
Navigating the
Hazards of a New
Economy” by
Gerald F. Davis
y o u g o t to clim b th e
lad d er? B u t if yo u
A fte r d is c u s sin g th e two w ays th e s e
m a ssiv e c h a n g e s co u ld g o — revival o f
stro n g , lo ca l c o m m u n itie s or p e rv a siv e
landed on a square
w ith a d irty ro o m o r a kid m a k in g h e r sib lin g
‘U b e r iz a tio n ’ (w h ere jo b s are c o m p le te ly
cry , yo u h a d to g o dow n th e c h u te ? Y o u w e re
b ro k e n dow n in to ta sk s w e all b e g to
s u p p o se d to le a rn th a t g o o d d e e d s p u t you
c o m p le te ), h e c lo s e s w ith s o m e p re tty g o o d
a h e a d in lin e , b u t a ctu a lly w in n in g o r lo s in g
ad v ice : “ B e o f s e r v ic e .” (M u c h b e tte r th a n
is c o m p le te ly d e p e n d e n t o n th e ro ll o f th e
“ follow y o u r p a s s io n .” ) T h e p ro b le m is th a t
d ic e .
w e are- c re a tin g m a c h in e s to do all o f th e
“ O u r c u r r e n t e c o n o m y is lik e a P o w erb all
s e r v ic e . W h a t I w o u ld re a lly lik e is a
lo tte ry , in w h ich a h a n d fu l o f jo b s e e k e r s
atta in m a ssiv e w e a lth o v e rn ig h t, w h ile
o th e r s fa c e p e rv a siv e in se cu rity . T e e n
p ro g ra m m e rs s e ll th e ir app to F a c e b o o k and
retire b e fo re d rin k in g a g e , w h ile co m p e tito rs
w ith e s se n tia lly id e n tica l p ro d u cts lo s e o u t.
L u c k y h o m e o w n e rs in F lo r id a c a s h in b e fo re
th e b u b b le b u rs ts , w h ile o th e rs are le ft
u n d e rw a te r (fin an cially if n o t y e t actu ally ).
R a n d o m K o r e a n p op s ta rs h it an u n e x p e c te d
cu ltu ra l ch o rd and g o v ira l, w h ile th o u sa n d s
o f o th e rs g o u n s e e n .”
H e m a k e s a s u rp ris in g a rg u m e n t a b o u t
ris in g in c o m e in e q u a lity an d it c o m e s in two
p a rts . F irs t: co rp o ra tio n s are d e clin in g .
M o s t o f u s te n d to th in k G e n e r a l E le c tr ic ,
W e s tin g h o u s e and A T & T are p e rm a n e n t
fix tu re s o n o u r e c o n o m ic te rra in , b u t th e
co n d itio n s th a t o n c e n e c e s s ita te d h u m a n s to
o rg a n ize la b o r in th e fo rm o f v a s t
c o rp o ra tio n s are m o stly g o n e . S iz e is a
IL L U S T R A T IO N B Y J O N W IL L IA M S
liab ility.
S e c o n d : it is b e c a u s e o f th e c o rp o ra tio n ’s
d e c lin e th a t w e are e x p e r ie n c in g in co m e
m a in stre a m e c o n o m ic s b o o k th a t ch a lle n g e s
h a s e v a p o rated ; “ d ea d e n d ” h a s a lm o st
c a p ita lism . D o w e re a lly n e e d a cris is o f
w h o lly re p la c e d it.
m a ss u n e m p lo y m e n t, an d th u s m a ss
N o t o n ly th a t, b u t w h ile o th e r ad v a n ced
h o m e le s s n e s s , sta rv a tio n an d s ic k n e s s , to
in e q u a lity n o t s e e n s in c e th e G ild e d A g e in
e c o n o m ie s p ro vid ed citiz e n s w ith h e a lth
s e e h o w re le n tle s s a u to m a tio n , th e p u rsu it
th e late 18 00 s. B u t a re n ’t c o rp o ra tio n s th e
in su ra n ce and a ro b u st safety n e t re d u cin g
o f a rtificia l in te llig e n c e and th e w o rsh ip o f
re a so n fo r o u r d y sfu n ctio n a l g o v e rn m e n t?
th e ris k s o f fin a n cia l ru in th a t in n o v a to rs
te c h n o lo g y are in co m p a tib le w ith ca p ita lism ?
T h e s a m e g o v e rn m e n t th a t cu ts ta x d e a ls for
and e n tre p re n e u rs ta k e o n , c o rp o ra tio n s
D a v is ’ v is io n o f d y sto p ia , w h ich h e calls
th e w e a lth y an d d o e s th e b id d in g o f
sh o u ld e re d th a t b u rd en in A m e r ic a b e c a u s e
ru n a w ay “ p la tfo rm c a p ita lis m ,” is n ’t n e a rly
s ta te le s s c o n g lo m e ra te s a t th e e x p e n s e o f
u n iv e rsa l h e a lth care is, ap p aren tly,
b ad e n o u g h . C o m p e tin g w ith o n e a n o th e r to
e v e ry o n e e ls e ?
s o cia lism . S u c h b e n e fits w e re alw ays
“ T h e m o s t eq u al e c o n o m ie s (Sca n d in a v ia,
o p tio n al, and now th a t it’s c o m e tim e to
fo r e x a m p le ) are h o m e to s o m e o f th e
s ta r t p ay in g o u t th o s e care er-em p lo y ee
b ig g e s t g lo b al c o rp o ra tio n s (N o k ia , V o lv o ,
p e n s io n s, th e c o s t o f b e n e v o le n c e is
Ik e a , e tc .) , w h ile th e m o s t u n e q u a l
c rip p lin g an d p ro h ib itiv e. S o , as
e c o n o m ie s (C o lo m b ia , S o u th A fric a ) have
co rp o ra tio n s s h rin k o r d is in te g ra te
few if an y tru ly larg e-scale d o m e s tic
a lto g e th e r, h e a lth c o v e ra g e , re tire m e n t
e n te r p r is e s .” C o rp o ra tio n s , D a v is a rg u e s,
sav in gs and all th e s e “ p e r k s ” o f a lm o st
a re n ’t p e r fe c t, b u t o n e th in g th e y did w as
e v e ry o th e r ad v a n ced e co n o m y , d isap p ear.
p ro vid e a c le a r ro ad to up w ard m obility.
T h e 401 (k) h a s b e e n an a b je c t fa ilu re . I
G o o d lu c k fin d in g th a t today. “ E n try -le v e l”
a p p re cia te h is d ire c tn e s s th a t em ployer-
co m p le te m e n ia l ta s k s fo r p e n n ie s is g o in g
to lo o k lik e a d rea m w h e n m a c h in e s ca n do
n e a rly e v e ry th in g u n s k ille d w o rk e rs ca n do
an d y e t th o s e u n s k ille d w o rk e rs w ith th e ir
p e s k y b o d ily n e e d s still n e e d to e a t. I f ev en
th e c o rp o ra te b e h e m o th is c r u m b lin g , w h y
m u s t w e a s s u m e ca p ita lis m is a p e r m a n e n t
w ay o f k e e p in g h o u s e ?
Reprinted from Street Roots sister paper,
Real Change News in Seattle.