Labor and capital

Paul Krugman and several other economists are pointing to a dichotomy in productivity gains.  Up until the 1980s, the common wisdom was as productivity rose, the gains were shared by labor and the rentier class of capitalists.  As long as labor is a necessary ingredient of production, the laboring class could demand at least some of the productivity gain.  However, now the equation may be changing.  More and more robots with enhanced Artificial Intelligence are taking over some mundane tasks, as well as jobs that require college level skills.  I remember as a child being told that in the future, electricity would be too cheap to meter, and productivity gains would be so high, the average worker would have to figure out what to do with all the free time he would have on his hands.  The part we weren't told was we will all be un or underemployed with no money to use to enjoy all this free time.  What the plutocrats probably realize, but won't do anything about until the torches and pitchforks appear on their doorsteps is you cannot concentrate wealth indefinitely without creating a permanent underclass like France, circa 1789.  It ain't a pretty sight, despite the Hollywood treatment of Les Miserables.  A boost of the minimum wage to $15.00/hr. and a return to the marginal tax rates of the 1950s would go a long way toward boosting demand and achieving full employment.  The machines will be working for free, so let's let them lead us to the promised land as embodied by the 1964 World's Fair.  Otherwise, we'll be looking at a Blade Runner future.