McDonald's stock (MCD) goes up as plans to replace over-paid workers with cheap kiosks @ 2500 USA stores is revealed

HardLoper, it's been around hundreds of years and hasn't happened because the government will not allow it to happen. Do u think slavery was abolished because people like u grew a heart, no. Slaves are bad for the economy.

Back in the ratrace wrote:

This is not a question for "conservatives", it's a question for philosophers. Back in Veblen's "conspicuous consumption" days (say 1890), the elite classes worried about what the hoi polloi would do with all the free time they'd soon have from reduced working hours (probably fearing a revolution, given the anarchist tendencies in those times). It seems that the answer was: they'd use it (free time) to work more, to make more money, ...

Furthermore, the idea that government should "actually help" people is a dubious one, and the actual practice of this has proven disastrous over the centuries. Rather, a government should ensure a suitable conditions (e.g. lack of war) so that those who wish to "actually help" people can do so.

How are people with free time going to work more if jobs are hard to come by, and if the jobs that are available don't provide the kind of income required to allow people to engage in things like getting a job-creating start-up off the ground?

Yes, very dubious that our democratically-elected government, which has promulgated laws to establish and regulate our capitalist economy since it began, should take ANY sort of action (other than maintaining the status quo) to promote the general welfare of the workforce. The idea that the millions of children and seniors who are heavily dependent on government programs would be better taken care of if those programs didn't exist is insane. The invisible hand is not charitable; it is fundamentally sociopathic.

What has proven disastrous (say ten years ago) is eliminating government oversight of critical sectors of the economy and curbing government spending programs in times of financial crisis.

HardLoper wrote:

There will always be enough jobs to do even for unskilled people. The idea that technology will soon eliminate all the good jobs has been around for over 200 years and it never comes true.

"For the poor you will always have with you... and they will always have enough jobs"

Matthew 26:11.5

My local Mcds has these. They are great. But about 2/3 of the people still use the counter

I've only been in one McDonald's in the last 20 years, and it was in Mexico City. Do you know they have McMolletes? GENIUS!

How are people with free time going to work more if jobs are hard to come by, and if the jobs that are available don't provide the kind of income required to allow people to engage in things like getting a job-creating start-up off the ground?

If the purpose of man were to work, perhaps you'd have an argument.

The rest of us are happy playing video games in our parents' basement.

The idea that the millions of children and seniors who are heavily dependent on government programs would be better taken care of if those programs didn't exist is insane.

Strange then that said people survived relatively well before societal changes meant that the Poor Laws and such were passed. Moreover, it seems that charity did quite well to alleviate needs in e.g. 13th century Europe, and additionally founded hospitals and universities, ran schools, etc. But today you need a state to run your life? What has changed, other than the owners of the Animal Farm?

Admittedly, ever since Wilson/FDR the USA has effectively mandated that people become (heavily as you say) dependent on government programs and Ponzi schemes, but that's no excuse for not turning off the spigot. Treating people like pawns in geopolitical games of grievance group theater was common during the Greek/Roman demises, and it looks like many elites want to repeat it. They likely won't be around anyway to try to rebuild after the looming collapse.

Would you like fries with that

Would you like fries with that

Would you like fries with that

Robot Voice wrote:

Would you like fries with that

Would you like fries with that

Would you like fries with that

Will they also hire robots to keep the toilets clean?

In the future we won't need toilets

Real AI wrote:

Robot Voice wrote:

Would you like fries with that

Would you like fries with that

Would you like fries with that

Will they also hire robots to keep the toilets clean?

Not in my job description

don't worry we're going to build a wall at the southern border and say we love coal and then america will be great again and everyone's problems will be solved

luv2run wrote:

Does McD have an app for the phone to order from? Seems logical.

In Colorado Springs

My doctor friends, who average well north of $100/hr, all stay very busy thanks to the minimum-wage fast-food workers.

Yuppr wrote:

In the future we won't need toilets

Don't worry, us professional fart wranglers have strong union connections, they can't touch us.

That's just what I was going to say, thought probably not as well. Bravo.

So your argument is that things were better in the 13th century? Grow up (intellectually).

Try reading. If you conflate things like technological advances into the picture, then the future always looks brighter.

The argument was that charity (as in meeting needs) was more prevalent in the 13th century (when done societally) than in more recent times (when done governmentally, sometimes by force). This is not exactly an outlier view of history, though is not so much in favour today (of course).

You can find entire books on the topic, but here's a brief from a university humanities site.

Hurl wrote:

So what's the total job loss since Trump became King Cheetoh?

And with this further step toward a no-jobs future, where's the plan for a basic wage? Oh, I know, we'll all work building a solar wall between the US and Mexico. That will fix everything.

McD's innovating to save costs is somehow tied to the President? He sucks all on his own, no need to make up things that have nothing to do with him.