Back in 1958, economist John Kenneth Galbraith warned that America’s greatest danger wasn’t poverty — it was abundance. Fueled by mass production and powerful marketing, we were on track to become a nation with more stuff than purpose.

In “The Affluent Society,” Galbraith argued that advancing technology would meet most material needs with far less human labor. But instead of rethinking what a good society looks like, we doubled down on the old rules: government is bad, markets are god, and private wealth will somehow benefit everyone.

Today, that prophecy has come true. Today, a handful of families own more than half of America. Corporate profits soar while wages stagnate. And work — the core source of dignity, identity and structure for millions — is being eaten alive by automation and artificial intelligence.

Jobs are disappearing. Not just factory jobs. Not just drivers. But coders, paralegals, editors, even teachers and doctors — all being quietly replaced by machines. AI is here, and it’s not slowing down.

So where’s the plan? Where’s the national conversation about what happens next?

All we hear is — distractions.

Some leaders stir up nostalgia, pick fights over history books, or sell us the lie that we can bring back coal, oil and the factory floor. But no one is telling the truth about........

© Santa Clarita Valley Signal