[illumin8]

Right on. Silicon Valley may have an empathy vacuum/problem, but let's place the blame for this problem where it really lies: government policy makers. They are the ones that have watched globalization gut the middle class, while sitting back and collecting their fat stock grants and salaries for sitting on the board of the companies that are the beneficiaries of these policies.

We need universal basic income to soften the impact of the rise of automation in the workforce. The problem is that the same people influencing government to write policies that are clearly against the middle class also control the media, and they seem to have just convinced a majority of US voters to vote for a government that will create more income inequality by cutting taxes for the wealthy.

In a masterful stroke, now the policy makers pulling the strings are using the media to blame silicon valley for creating these problems. As if Facebook's news feed is the sole cause of the decimation of the middle class that has been happening for about 40 years now...

[talideon]

> We need universal basic income to soften the impact of the rise of automation in the workforce.

People need to feel useful. Universal basic income doesn't give that to people by itself.

[c0nducktr]

True, but neither does a job.

[talideon]

With a job, at least you've an outside chance of feeling useful.

[talmand]

That just might be your opinion.

[Tempest1981]

Then we should work to change government. Can we band together to do that? OTOH, many want smaller government. I was raised with "let the market decide". Private enterprise is always more efficient than government.

Are we conceding that only government can solve certain problems?

[kmkemp]

caveat: not a majority

[illumin8]

A majority of the ones that matter (live in battleground states).