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Re:It’s time for a new, progressive supply-side economics by pjc50 on Tuesday February 02, 2021 @11:01AM (#26002558)
The lines going up are the ones with larger labour components, and the ones going down are manufactured goods which can be automated and/or produced overseas in lower wage countries. You can't import a haircut. This is known as "Baumol cost disease".

The other big inflator is rent - the cost of land and buildings. At this point the Georgists would like a word about land value taxes.

Re:It’s time for a new, progressive supply-side economics by insert_coin on Tuesday February 02, 2021 @11:10AM (#26002704)
This is of course the whole chicken and egg part of the discussion.

You can't import a haircut because it really is technically and practically impossible or because bureaucracy has made it impossible for outsiders to enter the haircutting business? Let me remind you all that in the US you need a license to cut hair. Let me repeat that, in the US you cannot cut hair without the government giving you permission.

I think it is perfectly within our abilities to build lets say some kind of smart-helmet that cuts hair and can be imported from the same countries that build smartphones, drones, watches, shoes, etc. I'm open to other ideas.

Re:It’s time for a new, progressive supply-side economics by ben_w on Wednesday February 03, 2021 @01:08PM (#26016881)
You cannot import a haircut. It’s a service provided to you where you physically are by people who live close by.

You can technically automate hair cuts (badly, but it is technically possible, most wouldn’t want to pay for it yet).

You can buy an electric hair trimmers and give yourself a standard length.

But there are no robots for remote-controlled hair cutting. Until there are, you can’t import them.

This is why haircuts are expensive even outside of the USA, and why they vary in rough accordance with the local cost of living.