It’s Jobs
CNN reports that on Jobs: Worse than you think
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — The U.S. labor force is shrinking, as more Americans are giving up hope.
Last month, only 58.1% of Americans age 16 and over were employed, a significant drop from before the recession and the lowest since 1983.
That’s especially worrisome to economists, who say a steady increase in those dropping out of the work force and not being counted in the unemployment rate is disguising just how bad the labor market really is.
“People are dropping out of labor force for all types of reasons,” said Robert Brusca of FAO Economics. “And it’s not a good trend. A good part of the wealth of a nation has to do with the proportion of population that works.”
The unemployment rate drop isn’t real, it reflects only those ‘actively seeking employment’, and not those who have just given up. It also doesn’t include the self-employed who have run out of work.
Austerity is not going to put people back to work, but no one in Washington understands that reality.
14 comments
In 1933, FDR created 4,000,000 jobs with the stroke of a pen. Oh, I know that the right wing will object that those were government jobs and thus not really jobs but (shrug). The people who had those jobs sure thought they had jobs, nevermind the right-wing zealots who claim that those people should be counted as unemployed because government jobs are no different from Nazi slave labor camps or Soviet gulags (say wha?!).
The fact of the matter is that even *if* we invest in infrastructure, there’s a limit to how many jobs we can create that way short of direct government hiring as FDR did. There are only a certain number of trained construction workers, and it takes years to train more. People are *not* fungible — an out-of-work accountant whose job has gone to India is never going to work in accounting again, yet is entirely unsuited for retraining as a construction worker too, being a late-middle-aged flabby pasty accountant rather than some big strapping fellow. We are past the point, I think, where solutions that involve limited government will solve the unemployment problem. We need to think big. We need to either admit those jobs are gone and not coming back and do something that reduces the size of the workforce without causing undue misery (I like the notion of a temporary one-time “hey, you guys and gals 55 to 67, you can retire *now* with full Social Security and Medicare benefits as if you retired at 67! But do it *now* because this is a one time offer never to happen again!” which would instantly skim a huge number of ‘Boomers out of the workforce ’cause most of the Boomers never really wanted to work in the first place unlike their workaholic parents and would jump at the chance to retire early), or find jobs for these people via direct government action. But simply pretending that the Austerity Fairy is going to somehow create jobs via waving her magic wand is not going to work.
– Badtux the Practical Penguin
And on that note, I rounded up a picture of the Austerity Fairy to go along with my already-trotted-out picture of that other magical fairy commonly trotted out by the right wingers, the Free Market Fairy. I don’t think I need to tell you where the Austerity Fairy’s wand is actually applied to the general population, good and hard…
— Badtux the Snarky Economics Penguin
That resembles more of an Austerity Ogre, or possibly Troll, than a Fairy.
I would take that accountant and put him to work on the books of financial institutions, or even the Department of Defense to find out what happened to several billions of dollars that have seemingly evaporated.
Your right about older professionals SOL if they lose their job after 55. It’s been a convenience store or nothing for quite some time, while the tech corps complain that there aren’t any skill professionals in the US, so they need more H!B visas.
It is rather amusing watching the Repubs calling the latest absurdity ‘Obama’s downgrade’ at the same time the Teabaggers are holding rallies celebrating their victory in getting the US downgraded. Some of them actually believe that Zero is attempting to ‘steal their victory’.
It’s like we have both said, when a policy fails, they want to do it again, because it’s a belief, not a theory. They believe that if they continue to do it, at some point it will work. They are delusional.
Bryan, finding a picture of the Austerity Fairy was *hard*. I had to find a photograph that properly represented the outdated thinking of the Austerians, who are stuck in a time before recorded economic history, plus one that represented the rather rough nature of the Austerity Fairy, including the fact that the Austerity Fairy’s magic… wand… had to have kinks in it, all the better to cause pain when it penetrated… you know… of the general public. I believe, however, that the photograph I chose properly represents the Austerity Fairy in all of his, her, or its rough, crude, and primitive glory(?). 😈
Needless to say, I don’t agree with the Austerian’s notion that application of the Austerity Fairy’s crude tool will somehow create jobs for anybody other than, perhaps, proctologists :twisted:.
– Badtux the Snarky Penguin
The picture is great, and is an accurate representation of austerity and its supporters, it’s just that ‘fairy’ is a bit too elegant for the concept or those supporters.
I think we both know that it is a brute force ‘answer’ to an imaginary problem. Groucho Marx was right: “Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.”
You can forget all about the Gov hiring anyone. They just made unemployment even worse by firing all WH pages. So, there goes any chance of Teens getting experience or work in Washington, not to mention the killing of a 200 year program. 🙂 Next item on the WH Agendum: Killing the Constitution! 😈
Bryan, use of the word “fairy” is intended to be ironic in this application of the term :twisted:.
Kryten, that was House of Representatives pages, i.e., the realm of Sir Boner of Orange (R-Weasel), not White House pages. Regarding the U.S. Constitution, it has been dead since 1876, when both Republicans and Democrats agreed with the Hayes-Tilden Compromise to not enforce the 15th Amendment (which basically remained a dead amendment until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965). As President George W. Bush is reputed to have said, when told that the Constitution prohibited doing a particular action, “the Constitution is just a piece of paper.” If the majority wish to do an action it shall get done, Constitution or no, which is part of the justification that Australia uses for not having a Bill of Rights written into their Constitution (i.e., that by enumerating certain rights it makes those certain rights more important than other unenumerated rights, and the enumerated rights would just get ignored anyhow if the majority decided to do so, so what’s the point).
We all know that they don’t actually care about jobs, it’s just a talking point for elections, in any case these were ‘government jobs’ which aren’t real anyway, just asked a Republican.
Your ‘Free Market Fairy’ makes that obvious, Badtux, I’m just trying to add some diversity to the anthropomorphic ‘absurd economic claims’ field.
Diversity isn’t Republicans’ strong point, Bryan. 😈
Very true, Badtux, it is too confusing for them. I’m probably an elitest for wanting to add an additional word to the conversation. 😈
Mehhh… House of Rep’s… Whorehouse… What’s the difference? They are still screwing everyone, wherever they are! LMAO And by their actions, they seem to be intent in increasing unemployment, not decreasing it.
For those more religious than I these days:
Luke 6.43, 44:
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Matthew 3.10, Luke 3.9:
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Matthew 12.33:
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
And yadda, yadda, etc… ad nauseum (a Latin term for those who don’t know. I felt it appropriate in this context.) 😉 😛
However, it makes little difference whether these quotations come from religious works, or are simply wisdom of the ages. They have proven to be correct time and time again since mankind first walked upright. The main difference today is, these wolves are doing their evil deeds in blatant and obvious sight of the World, and are allowed to do so. Ehhh… Whatever… *shrug*
It simply proves the point I’ve made over and over. Humans are stupid.
Kryten, I’m that ladies of negotiable affection throughout the world would take great umbrage at being compared to anything as low and worthless as a Congresscritter.
The media are as much or more at fault than the fungi on Capitol Hill, as they refuse to report on reality and the facts. When the press acts as if telling the truth and reporting the facts is partisan, the people turn to sources as bad as Faux News and Limbaugh to have their prejudices confirmed.
Hah! Having worked my way through College & Uni doing security (originally in pub’s & clubs) for a very expensive *escort agency*, where I would drive the lady to the house/hotel/etc of the person wishing her services (at upto $600/hr, in the late 70’s), I got to know several of them. They would have agreed with me, except to ad (most likely with some pride) something like: “At least from us girls, you get a lot of pleasure before we take your money!” The ladies used to have a small walkie-talkie in their bags/purses, and I had the other mounted on the dash of the car. Whilst waiting the hour or 2, I’d be studying or doing some schoolwork. I could hear them and if I heard a certain couple words, or something wrong, I’d bust the door (or window) and teach the client a lesson in manners they wouldn’t forget for a long time. I only had to do that once. 🙂 I got to know the ladies as I said, and many of them had *normal* day job’s. One was a top rep for Mazda, and was a *white* Russian! She was absolutely drop-dead gorgeous, and knew it! *sometimes… I hated that job! Other times… I wish I was still doing it! The pay and perks were good. 😆
I’m surprised the *ladies of negotiable affection* aren’t suing the Whitehouse for trying to muscle in on their biz without giving any value for money! 😆 At least when the working ladies (or working men) prostitute themselves, you get some value for money. The Politician prostitutes take everything, and give nothing but pain and suffering in return. I know who I’d rather give my money to! 😈
Feeling sorry for, umm… raising, that subject? 😉 😆
‘Working girls’ are one of the best sources of information about the general climate on the street in an urban environment for anyone with an ounce of sense in police work. Effective street cops cultivate good relationships that are strictly platonic with street people, so they will pass along important information. You don’t want them as informants, you want them as information sources. A little respect goes a long way, especially at 3am, even if it is only to a phone call at a critical time.