During an interview with The Atlantic , Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang criticized the United States’ “subsistence labor model” and suggested that the economy needs to evolve. Yang made the comments in response to the question of what he would say to people who believe that he is drawing young, disaffected supporters looking for a way out of work that need to “grow up.”
“I mean, if you think about it, why are we trapped in this subsistence labor model?” he said, questioning why we value nine-to-five jobs while valuing the work of stay-at-home mothers as zero.
“Ninety-four percent of the new jobs created in the U.S. are gig, temporary, or contractor jobs at this point, and we still just pretend it’s the ’70s, where it’s like, ‘You’re going to work for a company, you’re going to get benefits, you’re going to be able to retire, even though we’ve totally eviscerated any retirement benefits, but somehow you’re going to retire,’” he continued.
Yang claims that many young people look at the current economic landscape with discouragement.
“And we’re like, ‘Oh, it’s all right.’ It’s not all right,” he added. “We do have to grow up…”
Per The Inquisitr , Yang previously said that the current U.S. economy and government are pushing people to do inhumane things to benefit the corporate bottom line. He claims that incentives are created around career preservation and suggests that this system pushes people to do things they would never do in another context.
Once derided as a “novelty candidate,” Andrew Yang is poised to hang on longer than many senators and governors in the 2020 race, reports @IsaacDovere : https://t.co/pHRPhiEJSl
— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) August 15, 2019
Yang’s signature proposal is a universal basic income (UBI) of $1,000 monthly for every American over the age of 18. He claims that this income can be funded in part by taxing big technology companies like Amazon, Google, and Facebook, who are poised to benefit most from the technological advancements connected to automation.
The 44-year-old serial entrepreneur recently made headlines for attacking President Donald Trump during his visit to the Iowa State Fair. He challenged Trump to a face-to-face on almost anything and blasted the president’s eating habits — Trump is known for his affinity for fast food — as well as his weight. Per The Inquisitr , Yang also said that Trump might be able to beat him at golf, but suggested it would be because Trump cheats at the game.
The Hill reported that Yang is set to take the stage at the fall debates in September and October alongside Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, and Beto O’Rourke.
