Bob 123

Why the Economy Isn't Improving Much

They (capitalist oligarchs and the government reps they own) broke the model.

The sell-out of American labor has been in the works for over forty years. It started with electronics/heavy industry/manufacturing, but now extends deep into white-collar financial and IT jobs as well.
Out-sourcing, off-shoring, down-sizing, right-sizing, re-engineering -- call it what you will, the sad fact is much has been automated and most jobs left aren't hard or require a lot of skill other than a little OJT.
Getting a college degree no longer is a guaranteed ticket to a good paying job - stories abound of people with masters degrees scrapping for twelve dollar an hour jobs.

How will there be a large and vibrant middle-class with relatively few decent paying jobs out there?

Time for the U.S. Economy to Reindustrialize

Tom, there's no point arguing with these right-wingers who do not understand how it used to be not so long ago.

You got sick or hurt ? You were fired.

Called up for military service ? Someone else took your job.

Clean air/safe work conditions ? No problem for your employer if your lungs/ kidneys/ eyes or something else was shot by the time you were forty -- see the first item.

No windows /not enough doors or too small or even barred ? -- You were dead if a fire broke out in the plant.

Yep, oh-those-costly rules and regulations. What purpose did they ever serve ? Those rules and regulations were paid for in blood by hard-working, long suffering UNION people.
But there are so many who did not study the history of the labor movement and have a clue. They did not live it, and their business school glossed over it.


On Nov 15 02:45 PM Tom Armistead wrote:

> Compliance with zoning laws doesn't seem too onerous to me.
>
> Paint the building the required color, plant the right type of trees,
> make the bathroom window the required size, no big deal.
>
> From there if you have a decent business plan and the ability to
> run a business, manage people, control costs, etc., you will do just
> fine.
>
> I am really puzzled by the aliance of libertarian thinkers who just
> don't understand the concept that others have rights, with those
> who persist in flagellating themselves and their country because
> we operate at a competitive disadvantage to a socialist country that
> manipulates its currency in order to sustain an unfair business advantage
> for a state controlled economy.
>
> It is really too wierd, the answer is fairly simple, let the Chinese
> work 60 hour weeks with no benefits and no rights, they can sell
> the resulting glut of cheap products to each other. In this country,
> we could import some CNC machine tools and other means of production,
> train people to run them, and go back to the way things used to be,
> with the advantage of increased productivity from using updated means
> of production.

Options Trader Thursday Outlook: Get Ready for the Next Million Layoffs

On Nov 12 12:29 PM cyclingscholar wrote:

"......and ya may as well start with those publik school teachers
who are cranking out illiterate, innumerate imbeciles"

Hmmmm......you may have a good point. They obviously worked wonders for you. Or is it you learned to write like that in private school ?

Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News

And why not. It was a favorite tactic of the Neocons from 2000-2008, to periodically mail out checks, spend lots of money just prior to important election cycles, etc.
BushCo created a whole new government agency and all of it's attendant bureaucracy -- the Department of Homeland Security, which redundantly overlaps the functions of several other pre-existing government agencies.
What do you expect? News flash for you -- governments and politicians do that. No sense carping about it just because your favored political regime was tossed out for being the incompetent hacks that they were.
Work and advocate for campaign finance reform, if it bothers you so much.
Kind of sucks that the so-called "liberal" or "socialist" party in reality only became the "other party of big business".

On Nov 10 08:19 AM User 344476 wrote:

> My bet is that the government will hire like crazy in 2010. Don't
> forget, it's an election year. Conditions must be as good as money
> can buy later next year or the dems will lose their opportunity to
> force their solutions on a less-than-willing public. They've been
> holding stimulus money back for that purpose. They'll open the flood
> gates every way they can get away with as 2010 progresses.
>
> We'll pay heavily for it in 2011.

Why Won't Obama Just Create the Jobs?

Why would I want to create a job here in the U.S. when I would be obligated to pay exorbitant health-care costs/benefits for my newly hired employee(s) ?
No, better to create that job in China or Europe, where health costs are picked up by the government.

No, Obama understands the problem alright -- fix health-care. Unfortunately, the "fix" that is emerging does not fix the problem -- too much right-wing-batshit-win... guaranteed to protect health industry profits and not provide a real solution.

You and your right-wingnut friends should remember -- Republicans have no answers other than "richer - rich and screw everyone else". Expect no mercy from them if and when they reclaim political power.


On Nov 09 09:44 AM John Galt wrote:

> Obama isn't focused on the Economy because right now his Democrats
> have a super majority and control our government. Instead of representing
> the people, he wants to pass his parties holy grail... Health care.
>
>
> It's about politics. We have one party in control. He has the votes
> (until 2010), so he tries to pass health care. If he didn't have
> the votes, he'd probably be focused on the economy but Obama is a
> politican. He won't get this chance later, so he has to seize the
> opportunity now.
>
> Every poll in America shows people worried about Jobs/the economy
> but all Obama focuses on are Health Care/Cap and trade. It's shocking
> right? No, it's not his Democrats being out of touch with American
> voters, it's them trying to force legislation down our throats while
> they can. Yes they can.

Friday's Jobs Report: Unemployment Bumps 10%?

Both John and yourself are laboring under some delusion that there was a lot of anti-war protesting going on during the Bush lie-to-us into these phony wars.
There wasn't really that much protesting then, as there isn't now. Even when there was some gathering or march, the MSM mostly ignored it.

The young people of America did not rise up and do not protest these wars on the same sort of scale as happened with Vietnam.
After all, it's a volunteer army now. Hard to protest when you or your kid doesn't have to go and potentially die or suffer life-long injury unless they want to.


On Nov 05 11:56 AM thiazole wrote:

> This is all pretty off-topic, but the author did bring up politics,
> so I guess he should have expected the conversation to get political.
> In any even, I completely agree with you. When the left was protesting
> on the streets during the Bush administration, I always argued that
> it was nothing but politics to create civil unrest and get "their
> guy" into office. Now that they have succeeded, there are no longer
> any protests, because the protests were never about war (and the
> tea parties aren't really about taxes, either). The type of people
> who protest aren't economically driven - they are socially driven.
> All they care about are social issues, but they will use any popular
> issues (like war and taxes) as fodder for protest.

Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News

<<Fair tax would fix all of this>>

--- agree! - and so does the administration. Tax the rich too.


On Oct 27 08:49 AM doubleguns wrote:

> A new IRS unit will target the ultra-wealthy.
>
> Yes we are turning into France. France chased the wealthy out of
> their country years ago. They have never recovered. I hope this is
> simply not a witch hunt to intimidate the very people who start many
> of the small business that employment needs. Our gov is not doing
> a damn thing to create jobs, now this to harrasse those with the
> possibility to create jobs.
>
> Seems the fools in Washington will spare no effort in beating the
> very last breath out of our economy.
>
> Fair tax would fix all of this.

The Hypocrisy and High Stakes of Healthcare Reform

If we had "Medicare for all", then the young and the healthy (the type private insurance companies prefer to cherry-pick) would be subsidizing seniors and others that the for-profit leeches prefer to dump on the government anyways. N'est ces pas ?


On Oct 22 03:46 PM TeresaE wrote:

> Congress "helped" seniors.
>
> My dad's costs went from less than 10% of his income to over 35%.
>
>
> He only gets $16,000 a year SS.
>
> With "help" like that you can bet that this "reform" is going to
> fail.
>
> Miserably and at a huge cost.

The Hypocrisy and High Stakes of Healthcare Reform

Medicare for all. period.
Everyone in, nobody out -- one big risk pool, and the bloodsucking insurance companies (with their 30% profit margins) can go to hell.
Medicare operates with a 3% overhead as opposed to the ridiculous profit margins the insurance industry requires.
The U.S. government can and should negotiate drug costs with big-pharma, as do all other government run systems around the world. We don't need to pay their lobbying as well as their advertising costs to pitch us Viagra.
One set of claims/paperwork for care, eliminating the immense beauracratic overhead facing health-care providers as all the hundreds of plans have their own forms, procedures, etc for filing claims.
Healthcare costs for employees would be removed from the backs of business -- large or small, making it possible to hire U.S. workers again and not be at such a disadvantage as it is now vs. hiring foreign labor (who get healthcare provided by their respective governments).
The cost savings of the above would be immense and every citizen could expect quality, affordable care.
National healthcare for all U.S. citizens -- NOW.

If the Middle Class Crumbles What Happens to Political Stability?

But......but.......where do the jobs that made the middle class come from?
The destruction of the middle class has been underway for thirty years or so, commencing from about the time of the Reagan administration. Globalization, free-trade --- many saw this from the beginning for what it was -- the oligarchs shifting the cost of labor to the cheapest parts of the planet. Initially focused on blue-collar/manufactur... it now reaches deep into the white-collar workforce as well. Almost no one's job is safe, save the local service jobs that do not pay a middle-class living wage.
No U.S. administration of any political stripe has moved to stop the destruction and sell-out of the U.S. workforce, including the current one. When all the wealth is concentrated in a few hands and a massively impoverished society collapses into violence and anarchy -- the kingpins will flee abroad with all the plundered loot of this once great Republic, as a parasite would leave a dying host.
The deception they play upon the people as this is accomplished is breathtaking in it's scope and audacity. The greatest swindle of all time, not only of our own wealth, but all our kids, grandkids -- probably many more generations to come.
And we let it happen, blinded by political ideology and fooled into thinking we are a nation of 'me' rather than a nation of 'we'.

When Volcker Saved the Dollar

By the author's own recounting of historical events:

-- Nixon engaged in "wage and price controls" (because of soaring inflation)
-- Ford had "whip inflation now" (because of soaring inflation)
-- but inflation was really the fault of "four years of Carter administration mismanagement"

This contradictory and plainly partisan distortion seriously impairs the credibility of this author.

Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News

Maybe Bush the younger and Cheney will win all the war prizes from every conservative/fascist group on the planet over the next few years and that would make you happy.


On Oct 09 09:19 AM JCCIII wrote:

> Here's a news flash. Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize. No surprise,
> of course; Obama will win the top award from every liberal/socialist
> group on the planet over the next few years.

Recession Is Over; Depression Has Just Begun

Agreed,
the programming of the sheep's brains against the eeeeeevil of so-called communist/socialist systems is deep and pervasive in U.S. culture. It's been going on since before WW II, so it is no surprise that it is practically in the genetic make-up of many Americans, the vast majority of who never question what has been told to them over and over going back generations.

In Norway for example, the fantastic wealth generated by North Sea oil is property of the state, not a handful of 'private' oil-oligarchs. The government has taken this vast sum of money and wisely invested and diversified it, so as to be able to give all of her citizens unheard of cradle-to-grave benefits unimaginable here in the U.S. They claim they can maintain these benefits in perpetuity. The kind of conservative/liberal debates they have go something like this:
" All pregnant women should be forced to quit their jobs, stay at home, raise their kids and receive generous welfare payments"
---- That's the conservative position!
(the liberal position is "they should be allowed to work if they want to")

Would that our liberal/conservative issues were more like that here in the U.S.


On Oct 05 12:24 AM User 357705 wrote:

> Denmark. Finland. Sweden. Norway. All are examples of socialism that
> is successful. There are of course more though I hesitate to suggest
> them as one may become deeply upset.
>
> As for stealing from the productive that is what Duhmerica now has.
> The unproductive bankster leeches have stolen from the workers futures
> and those of their yet unborn grandchildren.
>
> Look, I understand its upsetting when one's religion, in this case
> the religion of FU Capitalism, is proven to be a sham beyond a reasonable
> doubt. The more fervent acolytes are the most upset because they
> have so much emotion invested in their belief system.
>
> Lastly, the Horatio Algers lie is the most pernicious.
>
> Good luck! How's that short order cook job working out? Waffle House
> wasn't it?
>
> On Oct 02 04:04 PM Socialism cannot compete! wrote:

The Economic Recovery That Isn't

Someone gets it.
Schiff and all the others saying "let there be a real recovery and the jobs will eventually come back........" are smoking something.
The (good paying with benefits) jobs aren't ever coming back. The sad fact is with automation/computeriza... whatever ---- most remaining jobs are not hard and require no real education other than a little on-the-job experience and training.
What few good jobs requiring a real education that do exist -- are flying overseas as fast as our corporatocracy will allow.

So Mr. Schiff, once you are elected -- will you advocate for repealing or altering GATT?, NAFTA ?
Will you require that government contracts are fulfilled by American companies ?
Will you seek to enact laws that will protect U.S. jobs -- or is your idea of 'free markets and unfettered capitalism' mean that there will be no tariffs and white collar jobs are free to flee to India?

Where do the jobs come from that cannot be done cheaper in China or India ?


On Oct 04 10:28 AM bricki wrote:

> The problem with this analysis and modern economies in general is
> that industrial productivity has reached the point where the material
> needs of a modern society can easily be met by a small fraction of
> the workforce.
>
> For example the US is by far the largest manufacturing nation in
> the world, producing 21% of the value of all goods produced in the
> world today. Yet we only employ 8% of our workforce to achieve this.
> And the output of each worker IS growing exponentially, resulting
> in fewer manufacturing jobs each year.
>
> Even if you double employment and thereby production in this area
> you will only increase the percentage of the workforce engaged in
> these activities to 16%. And this doubling clearly cannot happen
> - the demand for the output is simply not there.
>
> There is no going back to an economy where manufacturing jobs are
> the bulk of the employment opportunities. Won't happen. We have had
> a transition much like what happened when we went from an agrarian
> economy where most of the population worked on farms to an industrial
> society where few people work on farms. Wishing for it will not make
> it so. You might as well wish for a society where most people work
> on farms.
>
> The future is a service economy. That is the reality. And economic
> policies must realize this and be structured to work in this environment.
> Calls to return to a manufacturing economy show a basic lack of understanding
> in how a modern economy actually works, or does not work.

How the Recession Is Changing Retirement

No company that (still) offers health benefits likes to hire middle-aged workers. The risk that they will get sick and be a charge against the company health plan is too great.
Being let go from your job when you are in your forties or older is devastating, you're a health-care liability even if you have not (yet) developed any serious health issues.
Another reason why employer-mandated health coverage is a sick joke and why there needs to be a single-payer, medicare-for-all system that removes this burden from industry. Every other first world country has already figured this out.


On Sep 30 12:39 PM The Recusant wrote:

> "Mauro Guillén... says, and there are plenty of jobs with skill requirements
> and seasonal or flexible hours that are ideal for older employees."
> Well, there's about 1.5 million Americans over the age of 55 (whose
> unemployment rate has jumped 58% over last year) that would like
> to know just where those jobs are.......