I am fully aware that putting peg A in hole B might not warrant $15/hour, however, I'm putting myself through college while working as a welder in a factory (I'm in a "skilled" position, state certified baby, and I'm earning AT the poverty line) and although automation is nice, YOU STILL NEED PEOPLE to monitor the machines and quality check the parts. Concidering the level of automation in today's factory, there is of-course a much lower need for people than there have been previously, but just because their job isn't difficult, doesn't mean they don't deserve to survive.
Who is more important, the corporate executive that sits in an office all day watching the production floor while drinking coffee, or the person doing simple assembly??
BOTH are equally important, the executive won't have a company to manage if the worker isn't making the parts to be sold, and the worker won't have parts to make if the managers aren't attracting or retaining customers.
If streamlining and automation are the answer, why not do away with Pharmacists? Build vending machines that require the insertion of doctor issued prescription cards. For that matter doctors can be phased out and replaced with computer databases and automated body scan robots. Surgeons are obsolete, robotic arms and laser guided scalpels, could do the job faster and cleaner. Since it's apparant that fields like these could be eliminated as easily as an assembly job, why not cut the pay from $150,000+ a year down to $14,000- a year?
But, I digress, it is true, everyone that desires to have a home, clothing, and food should get a college education, especially since un-skilled low-paying jobs out number skilled "good"-paying jobs roughly 50:1.
