The laundry is going again and the first load is due in about five (5) minutes. After the laundry I’ll make a stop at DJ’s, since I’m almost out of fruit, besides that things are open, but I am reading several books, so … , no problem there! 9:15am and time for load number two. I miscalculated and was ten clock counts early.

To morrow a visit to the Physio man, which will combined with the hair-man and the wear-man, or the barber and the menswear shop respectively. Last week I bought a second pair of shoes on discount. These are sturdy walking shoes for the winter and wet weather. Now the second load is in and due at 10:15am. I did go down a little early to hear the spin cycle regarding its noise level. It was normal.

Last week Jack and I had a fine lunch at the Selkirk at Heritage park. On Tuesday I treated myself to a fancy tea at Savour, while Sarah had asked me for one on Thursday together with Laddie and BJ later, after which it was time to go home and cook my own dinner.

On Saturday evening Shirley and I took in the ‘War Horse’ performance in the Jubilee. This was my birthday present from John and Tammy, whereas they were unable to go. The show was impressive technically and also emotionally.

The - artificial stage - horses become the object of the soldier’s feelings - whether friend or foe - relating to the suffering and compassion that the humans cannot afford to admit to in the dystopian inferno of World War One. As Shirley remarked, the show was sad in its overall mood, conveyed through the horses as these took on personalities, as pseudo soldiers.

A few observations on today’s low wages, while the coffee is perking. Low wages are anything below fifteen (15) dollars per hour in today’s economy. Wages in the States are often half that much, while in Canada it is about two thirds and in Germany a minimum wage does not exist.

The reason I want to comment on this, is the unexpected trigger from the book titled “The Barbarous Years” by Bernard Bailyn that I am reading. It reports that in the early years of the settlement of Virginia, the wages go down when there are lots of people available and up when labour is in short supply, an instability that eventually lead to the slave trade.

Combining the two, I observe that we have a very large world population, with a lopsided wealth distribution. Many jobs were exported from the ‘West’ to the third world, where now more than a billion people have risen above the poverty line.
<10:04am and continuing at 10:44am>

It was back while doing my graduate work, that I wondered how the then, even more pronounced income gap between haves and have-nots, would be bridged. Now, about forty five (45) years later I have my answer.

The West’s share of the global wage based income stalled in 1973 and became less, while the income share of the poorer part of the world started to increase. This first took the form of exported high wage auto sector jobs, followed by others and now service jobs - think call centers - as well.

Its effect was supplemented by bringing in low wage workers from other countries on a temporary basis and an at times illegally one. And in addition, the computerisation of manufacturing and office work tasks resulted in the disappearance of many older style jobs.

The West’s labour force was little aware of the stagnated wages, because the standard of living increased due to the cheap imports from overseas.

The next stage in this development is the increase in purchasing power of the old ‘third world’ countries, who now, with their increased incomes can start buying more goods. As their wages rise and the West’s remain flat, jobs will return to the Western countries labour market in the long haul, say thirty years may be, when the world population has maxed out.
<10:59am.
11:37am> Lunch behind me and the last load ahead in about twenty (20) minutes of the hour.

There is an other aspect to these considerations and that is the one of profits and capital. Most western companies are making money and almost all have much cash on hand. This has been going on for a decade, while the wild mortgage riders have been bailed out with tax payers money. To add insult to injury, it is these wild capitalist types that complain about government socialism, whilst they were the very beneficiaries of these bail-outs and still are of the money printing and devaluation process, called quantitative easing (QE)!

The stock market rises and falls today in direct relation to the prospect of this QE remaining in place or being reduced respectively, while share holders dividend payout seems to have become irrelevant. This means to me that the present stockmarket mechanisms are dysfunctional, if not false processes. But, keep in mind that the big pension funds cannot default for fear of a social revolution. So, we are all in a bind and probably should be happy that things are working as well as they are.
<11:54am~