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A comment on The GM strike is really about the switch to electric cars. Parent comment

Re:The GM strike is really about the switch to electric cars by Reubend on Saturday October 05, 2019 @04:21PM (#21167697)
I disagree. It's the responsibility of each worker to maintain the skills they need to be valuable in the modern economy.

Our government should help the unemployed, but paying them off "until they reached retirement age" means that the people who are still employed are paying for them to do nothing.

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Re:The GM strike is really about the switch to electric cars by ohazi on Saturday October 05, 2019 @07:04PM (#21168571)
> means that the people who are still employed are paying for them to do nothing.

That's literally the point. The cost to society of having a large, disgruntled, restless, unemployed population is high. If this population decides to revolt, the cost could be catastrophically high.

The goal is to pay this population less than the total dollar value of the expected damage, but still enough to stave off the most expensive / disasterous outcomes.

If you prefer, employable people like living in a world where they're employable. If the unemployable decide to revolt, that world could be threatened. It may hurt your sensibilities, but paying them to do nothing could still be the least expensive option.

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