What idiots. The woman who wants to implement a tax to protect jobs doesn't realize what impact this will have on her own life. There aren't many buggy whip makers now but thank goodness we have cars. While riding in a buggy one time for a short distance might seem like fun, using one to commute 50 miles to work every day would be impractical and annoying. If you have ever ridden in one they are rough riding, no A/C, no cd players, open to the weather, slow and you are subject to horse farts on occasion which might be funny once but not twice. Every time something new is invented it does require workers with new skills and no I do not need to pay for someone's free college to attain those skills. I was once asked by a communist girlfriend if I wasn't forced to pay for someone's school they might not go to school and invent something new that I would like to have and wouldn't that be terrible? I told her if I had to pay for his school he better be giving me his new product and not charge me for it. She didn't think that was fair either!

I have become a believer in the long range, long term conspiracy theory. In fact, a lot of people may have been persuaded that it doesn't not exist by those who do not want it to be know. There is way too much money, power and corruption today to discount it. The breaking of society into small special interest groups, the corruption of education, all talk to it.

"Now they will tax any automaton, car, kiosk, drone, perhaps ATM"
The list goes on and on. Voice recognition software used instead of a transcriptionist, spell/grammar check software, circuit board auto-routing software. The whole modern world is based on increasing productivity, i.e. getting more done with less work. A tax on automation is just shorthand for a tax on the entire economy.

The end result of the $15 push is unemployment which places those unskilled workers dependent on government assistance.Taxing robots isn't going to save jobs, they know this. Once on government assistance they will continue to vote for whoever gives them a more comfortable existence No matter how you look at this the left wins. It stinks of collusion and long term planning..

Could very well be, AJ, I put no collusion as being too low for politicians.

Saw this coming. With the push to raise wages to $15/hr and companies moving to automated systems in a variety of areas it made perfect sense that politicians would want to recoup lost revenue. Now they will tax any automaton, car, kiosk, drone, perhaps ATM which removes a taxpayer from the treasury to make up the loss. I'd speculate that this is the real reason behind the sudden insane push to $15.

Cool and charismatic. It never helps to add insult.
Thanks for sharing.

Reminds me of a little trick Todd used to do when he started as a pre-schooler. When he did something naughty and was reprimanded, he did what we came to call his "ashamed" smile. Instead of crying or getting angry. He would scrunch up his face, look at the teacher/parent with a dimpled smile, full of wonder that he could have possibly ever done anything wrong. It didn't get him out of trouble, but it usually melted any anger to where the consequences were not nearly so severe. It was like saying, "Who me?"without speaking a word.

It explains a lot of the iattraction of people to collectivism, and why it appears that the world is on a never ending march to socialism

Manners reduce conflict
Think about all the times you have been miffed at someone. Maybe while driving, shopping, or walking in a crowded place, catching public transport and so on. There is a good chance you were miffed because the person annoying you wasn’t using basic good manners. You may have even let out a huff or said something to them. Manners reduce the rub between people much like traffic lights reduce accidents at crossings.

Thanks Nickursis,
Another one here "Moving parts in rubbing contact require lubrication to avoid excessive wear. Honorifics and formal politeness provide lubrication where people rub together. Often the very young, the untraveled, the naïve, the unsophisticated deplore these formalities as “empty” “meaningless,” or “dishonest,” and scorn to use them. No matter how “pure” their motives, they thereby throw sand into machinery that does not work too well at best. – Robert A Heinlein in Time Enough For Love

Not to mention rudeness, bad manners, and lack of consideration on an expressway at 65mph can be immediately fatal.

Exactly!

We should play close attention to Venezuela to see how things will go under socialism. It is rich with oil, but can’t get it out of the ground to support their socialism. The jig is up when the looters can’t find productive people with loot for them to take

It used to be that man wanted control over nature to survive. Now men seem to want control over other men who have control over nature in order to survive.

Exactly so, they are grabbing the wheel of the Winnebago and taking it off the cliff while the wife is holding the Road Atlas to her face screaming "Left, Harry, Left"....End result, same.

I think this sort of fits that:

"It [now] seems to me that every time we manage to establish one freedom, they take another one away. Maybe two. And that seems to me characteristic of a society as it gets older, and more crowded, and higher taxes, and more laws. I would say that my position is not too far from that of Ayn Rand's; that I would like to see government reduced to no more than internal police and courts, external armed forces — with the other matters handled otherwise. I'm sick of the way government sticks its nose in everything, now."

Heinlein

To quote the Master:

“A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot.”
Heinlein

One thing that is a missing ingrediate in today's society is the lack of courtesy and polite manners.
As a preschool teacher my wife created a kindness pledge for the little minds. She also rotates the helper of the day and one of the things they do is remind who needs it to respect and listen to the teacher. At the very least 20 kids a year are exposed to proper behavior for a year or 2. A thousand mile trek starts with one step forward.

From what I hear about Hillary’s book, I agree calif would rather go bk than admit they were wrong. Just like the dems would rather see the USA crash and burn than let our current president have any success at saving it

A tribute to the finality of A is A. Denying reality has predictable consequences, and Ayn Rand was very tuned in. Kudos to her. Amazing that the collectivists blind themselves to the predictable results of their philosophy. Millions in California, venezuela, and other places just stick to ideas that have been proven wrong so many times It’s disturbing

Don't laugh, Hawaii is already wanting to experiment with a "BLS", and Kommunist Kalifornia cannot be "left" behind.

Nope, I don't think the current POTUS would say anything except "This is sad, very sad, very, very sad, next question?"

I am waiting to start seeing those, Corps already have to notify the state in advance of layoffs, so we are very near, then AS will be VERY non fiction...

best comment of the year award to you. I would just like to see the movie... oh wait, they made 2012, I guess I will have to rewatch it and cheer.