#365 Michael Lind: How the Suppression of Wages is Destroying America - The Realignment Podcast

Michael Lind, author of Hell to Pay: How the Suppression of Wages is Destroying America and The New Class War: Saving Democracy from the Managerial Elite, joins The Realignment. Michael and Marshall discuss the systemic myths that keep too many employees underpaid and overworked, how a post-1980s bipartisan consensus crushed worker power, and why the roots of the demographic, social, identity, and political crises facing America lie in wage stagnation.

0:00 - Introduction
1:06 - Michael’s new book
4:30 - Worker power
7:46 - How are the right & left responding to these issues?
12:47 - Taxpayers vs. consumers
17:29 - Center left & right “solutions”
30:44 - Radical solutions
44:00 - Current job crisis
47:34 - Higher education
59:47 - Why haven’t these changes happened yet?
1:02:21 - Government’s role
1:04:28 - Michael’s vision

[Stashley]

Michael Lind is a good writer. He needs a camera and microphone to match.

[bakothegreat]

One of the best political thinkers of our decade.

[oodragon]

As someone that's watched Stargate more recently than Star Trek, ever since Marshal corrected Michael on the name of the Replicators the whole conversation became immensely more terrifying.

For the Sci-Fi nerds that don't know Stargate, the evil A.I. self building space robot villains of the later seasons were named Replicators.

[Vorgaloth]

I really appreciate this dude's insight but he really needs to get a real mic and audio interface. Was very difficult to listen to at times.

[archstanton]

Coming from the right, I really do vibe with a lot of what this guest is saying. He is wrong though when he says that well led unions won't make demands that'll destroy the business - it's just as true as saying that well led businesses won't bleed their workers dry given the power to do so. Both capital and labor will cook the golden goose given the opportunity and power to do so.

[tfustudios]

I can't see these 'organized labor organizations' having any effect in a global and technological/ robotic world.

[kkrenken]

The low-wage worker loses the freedom that comes with the choice to spend or not to spend their money. They can never save or build wealth. And the rjch get richer

[modvs]

I've often wondered why big tech can't design a smart car that so smart, it can intermittently go online and gamble (e.g.: play poker, play the stock market, etc.) and generate enough money to pay itself off. That would make cars essentially free. That's never happening.

[gailclough]

Can't hear very well. Such a pity

[dcx]

Inflation has had a lot to do with this.. but in the last 2/3 years since the pandemic wages have gone up for nearly everyone even though the minimum wage remains simply because employers need workers. Problem is everything else has gone up in lockstep so you aren't really making any more now than you were. Your buying power still sucks. This is the argument of why raising minimums won't work and it played out exactly. Now Mr. President wants to punish hopeful home buyers that pay their bills and worked to make good credit. "Equity".. right.

[whistlingwind]

Micheal's audio is bad. Not only does his voice seem to come through as a muted echo, but he also periodically quiets his voice enough that it sounds like mumbling.

[lolololololo]

I also disagree with the idea that “working class conservatives don’t find trans stuff to be a threat”. They absolutely do my family is largely working class former Union Dems now trump people (because he actually talked abort working class issues) and they are absolutely concerned about schools propagandizing their kids into chopping off their genitals and joint the LGBTQ social contagion.

Huge blind spot by Lind

[degui]

Unregulated capitalism at it's best

[josephsheehan]

The whole higher education argument is dumb. As someone with a Master's. Education and skill are two different things. I'm highly educated with what I believe to be a fair understanding of accounting and have some prerequisite skills for the job I have currently have. With that said, college failed me with providing the skills and knowledge that I need to use my job on a day-to-day basis. Millennials and Gen Z are more educated than their forefathers but yet still seem to not possess needed skills to be successful or thrive in todays in economy. Anyone who says the Education System is fine and well and doesn't need to change is just flat out dumb. Burn the Education System to the ground and start from scratch. If I were President, the only thing I would keep and believe that our education system does well is require P.E. and I say that because we are the most obese nation in the world.

[imtrume]

So why can't we stop them from doing this? Is there no way to change

[digaum]

I'd have LOVED this conversation, but over 25 minutes in and only being able to hear half or 2 thirds of what the guest is saying, I'm out.
Please, please invest in a half decent mic and bring him in again, this would've been really interesting.

[rctjacksonville]

Ok, Just because we share the same last name does not mean we have a similar view. What a lead in, right? Your proposal of Gov involvement while quaint, is fatally flawed. The Fed has never and will never do anything that is affective with tax dollars. By that I mean the Gov always spends 10 times more than private would spend and private always had a much more beneficial outcome. But, more importantly, the gov does not have it's hands in the King making process of innovation for profits. Solendra was the best failed example of the Gov involving itself in what private industry has always done, business development. Solendra would never have gotten off the ground and in fact didn't when it sought private cap for start-up. The Obama admin rushed forward and gave them 30 million to start followed by 2nd and 3rd round investments through several back door infusions using other assets. Don't sound the Trumpet for Gov investment into the sector where private lives or we will spend more tax dollars on junk companies where execs sit back and consume million dollar salaries while Rome burns. By the way, what was the last successful company that had to go out and earn a living did you start? I'll

[marengoczar]

I dont understand what policy he is pushing for.

[barbarawernig]

Only now you have loans which forces people to take low wage jobs.

[barbarawernig]

Why not have a Federal jobs guarantee that sets the floor for wages and forces wages to rise, if you expect to have workers? Change what work means. Ie community needs.