Commentary
-
Our commentary partners will help you reach your own conclusions on complex topics.
Hey everyone, Peter design here coming to you from Phoenix, a city so artificial, it makes Vegas look like a nature preserve. I just want to spend a couple minutes real quick talking about actually answering a question that a lot of you have sent in. And that is in a world where we’re in deep demographic decline. And we’re facing the loss of consumption across the board and the dislocations that come to that for economics and trade. Can automation help solve some of these problems? So first, the backdrop, the birth rates started dropping precipitously in the industrial era, and then really doubling down at the end of World War Two when the Americans created globalization and then tripling down in the 1990s, when a lot of what had not been part of the global system. Your China’s your Russia is your Brazil’s joined in, everyone started industrializing and urbanizing. And birth rates went just just plummeted through the floor, until we got to the point where we are today in places in China and Korea, where birth rates are births per woman are now below point seven, and 2.1 is the replacement level. You play that forward for decades, and how we’re running out of people to have countries in the not too distant future. You know, historically speaking, now, the picture is different country by country. But it does raise the question and this is a good one, whether automation can help us with the workforce? And the answer is probably not and the short version, the longer version is you need two things. In order to maintain a trading network and economics as we understand them. The first one is consumption. Theoretically, automation can help with the production side of the equation, but machines don’t consume. So there’s no reason to expect a broad automation push is actually going to solve that unless you’re part of a system where there already is consumption. So in places like the United States and Mexico where birth rates are still reasonably high, and we’re not facing the kind of crash we’re seeing in Italy, or Germany, or Belgium, or the Netherlands, or Greece, or Spain or Brazil, or China or Korea or Japan or you get the idea. You know, it might work. So in those systems that are already the most sustainable automation can absolutely be part of the solution. But the second broader problem is capital. As you retire, you liquidate your investments and you go into T bills in cash, because if there’s a currency crash or a market crash, you’re you’re just out of luck. Well, that speculative capital back when you were investing in stocks and bonds, that’s what drives the tech sector. A successful tech sector requires not just loads of 20 and 30 somethings to do the work people we don’t have anymore, but a lot of capital to pay them for years before their investments actually bear fruit. And only then do you also need capital in order to pay for the prototyping and the operationalization and the build out and ultimately, the maintenance of all these systems. And we don’t have that capital environment anymore, either. So they’re just very few places in the world where tech in general in automation in specific can actually part be part of the solution. We’re gonna have to figure out different ways of doing things and for most of the world, that means doing less. All right, that’s it for me. Next up, perhaps Vegas
-
What happens to China after Xi Jinping dies?
China is arguably the world’s second most powerful country, and its leader, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Xi Jinping, plays a major role in many of its economic and military decisions. So, with no heir apparent, what happens to China when Xi dies? Watch the above video as Straight Arrow News contributor… -
Impact of Italy’s older, shrinking population
Births in Italy fell by 3.6% in 2023, reaching a record low and raising concerns for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s efforts to address the country’s aging population. One senator from Meloni’s ruling party echoed Pope Francis’ call for Italians to have more children, stating that having children should be Italian women’s “main mission.” Watch the… -
Biden and Trump are both unfit to be president
According to a June pre-debate poll, a majority of Americans feel dissatisfied with having to choose between either Joe Biden or Donald Trump. The debate did little to address anxieties that voters have about these two candidates. Post-debate polls indicate that President Biden now trails former President Trump, yet many voters remain undecided. Watch the… -
Why the West can’t quit Russian oil
Oil and gas revenues have been Russia’s most important source of income, accounting for up to half of the total Russian budget over the last decade. Despite severe sanctions imposed by the West to curb Russian energy income following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moscow’s oil revenues don’t seem to have been significantly affected. Watch… -
Why Israel’s Supreme Court ended draft exemptions
On Tuesday, June 25, Israel’s Supreme Court unanimously struck down a military draft exemption privilege for members of its ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu relies on the support of two ultra-Orthodox parties to maintain power, both of which oppose the court ruling. The court held, in essence, that these military draft exemptions…
Popular Opinions
-
In addition to the facts, we believe it’s vital to hear perspectives from all sides of the political spectrum.
Latest Opinions
In addition to the facts, we believe it’s vital to hear perspectives from all sides of the political spectrum. We hope these different voices will help you reach your own conclusions.
The opinions published in this section are solely those of the contributors and do not reflect the views of Straight Arrow News.
Latest Commentary
We know it is important to hear from a diverse range of observers on the complex topics we face and believe our commentary partners will help you reach your own conclusions.
The commentaries published in this section are solely those of the contributors and do not reflect the views of Straight Arrow News.
Peter Zeihan
Geopolitical StrategistImpact of Italy’s older, shrinking population
Biden and Trump are both unfit to be president
Why the West can’t quit Russian oil
Dr. Frank Luntz
Pollster and Political Analyst‘Two bad choices’: Undecided voters before Biden-Trump debate
‘Money doesn’t go as far’: Americans discuss financial hardships
‘I am shocked’: Americans react to the Trump guilty verdict
Pete Ricketts
U.S. Senator for Nebraska