"rational people"

Now there's a depleted natural resource!

Amusing. Many tasks which once required thinking have been automated, thus eliminating jobs.

"Oh," you'll say, "those people will just have to find other jobs, perhaps writing software or maintaining the system which has been automated."

"Why should I make the data available to you, when your aim is to try and find something wrong with it."

[Irony: Slashdot quote was "There's no sense in being precise when you don't even know what you're talking about." -- John von Neumann]

Mod parent way up.

Society has never before had devices that replace that one unique ability of humans, thinking. Now we do.

And it's not that there won't be adaptation to change, it's that the rate of change will be too fast and is going to cause many big problems.

Well then, we're headed for a catastrophe given the amount of human-replacing automation that's just over the horizon.

It's all about the headlines, soundbites, brainworms and reinforcing the narrative, comrade.

Look at the bright side: with the constant jobless recoveries, ever-increasing automation and looming Uberconomy, fewer bees will mean more jobs for humans.

Expect the fearmongering and propaganda and hype to escalate until December in Paris.

"Real money is the result of productive activity, where the word 'productive' really means that something is being produced that others are voluntarily willing to trade for in a way that is sustainable for both, the producer and the consumer."

And the value of the work that humans do now has been reduced due to automation and robots, yet costs of living remain high (for the most part). Former blue collar workers were able to transition to "white collar" work (much of it of dubious value to begin with, and many jobs existed simply due to interdepartmental rivalries and empire-building activities of executives) decades ago, but now there's nowhere left to go as human knowledge, experience and skills are being built into software/hardware. Yes, there are/will be some jobs building and maintaining automated systems, but nowhere near the amount of jobs eliminated. It's not going to be pretty, the middle class will be much more than decimated and I foresee many ditches being dug and then refilled the next day...

LOL, mod up!

"Unless you are ready to erect gulags to enslave people you can't make them live their lives to fund your unlimited socialist dreams."

That's what robots are for!

"I'm just wondering how the hell they plan to enforce it."

I don't think enforcement is the goal, comrade. The goal is to start you thinking along the lines of self-censorship.

I have to wonder about how many laptop screens were designed to have additional weight hanging from their sides.

You're right. It's just local government and federal government-level chemists that are paid more than private sector.