Krauthammer: "Middle-Aged May Never Get Employed Again"

realclearpolitics ^

[traumer]

"The problem is at the consumer level, confidence is low and that is because, as you showed, showed we had underemployment with one out of every six Americans. The worst element of that is that among the unemployed, against the American history, more than approaching half, have [been] unemployed for over six months.

[andy58-in-nh]

Bar stool. Cell Phone. Racing Form. Employment in your old age.

I'll take Barry O to place in the 2nd race.

[utahagen]

Good for you! Go get ‘em! Life gave you lemons and you made lemonade. Keep fighting the good fight for conservatism.

[Bullish]

We can let them starve, or ... we can send them checks and make the workers pay higher taxes.

Who's talking about sending them checks? Once their unemployment insurance (which they paid into) runs out they're SOL right? You can't get welfare unless you have dependent children under 18, or am I missing something?

[farlander]

You are my hero.

[pieceofthepuzzle]

The only way out of this, sustainably, is to get back to bedrock principles and fight our way out. I just don’t see the will to do that among many. We don’t even have a consistent national identity anymore. Interestingly, the last time public pride in America and confidence in our nation’s future were approaching levels as low as they are now was at the end of the Carter presidency.

[Huskrrrr]

I'll be working two part-time jobs for the rest of my working years. I make half of what I made 5 years, BUT I am Soooo grateful to have steady work.

[ClearCase_guy]

I'm not making any sort of recommendation. I just see a good 10% of the population having no financial means to speak of.

Unemployment? It's gone. Used up. It only lasts for so long.
Welfare? They don't qualify.
Mortgage? They lost the house a long time ago.
Job? Officially declared unemployable.

If America has something like 20 million people in that situation, then what happens next? The number of options is limited:

Civil unrest and violence as an army of the unemployed express their frsustration.
Mass starvation as people with no resources give up and die.
Politicians decide to expand the notion of welfare and send out a lot of checks so that there is neither unrest nor starvation.

I don't know what will happen, but I don't see how society can limp along indefinitely just doing the same old same old. At some point, something has to give.

[Le Chien Rouge]

I’m a:

1) 44 year old conservative male
2) college educated
3) Possess a class A CDL
4) Microsoft Certified
5) Own 1/5 of a bar—not much money there-bars have razor thin profit margins
6) I’m presently working in a dead end job(warehousing) at a company that really isn’t going anywhere
7) I have come to accept that my prime earning days have probably past me by.
8) I am in extreme economic survival mode at this time.

Am I angry or depressed??? NO!!!!

The government can tax me to death.
The left can PC me to death with insane racial quotas or EOE directed at women.
The media can ridicule white males as knuckle dragging, draconian,Bible Thumping, Bitter Clinging re-necks.

But none of this will ever break my F__kin’ spirit.

The left want a battle....they F’d with the wrong person.

In my mind, I’m a very free man and the left CAN NEVER take THAT away!!!!

JMO...

[Huskrrrr]

I'll be working two part-time jobs for the rest of my working years. I make half of what I made 5 years, BUT I am Soooo grateful to have steady work.

[TexasTransplant]

Bump

TT

[Huskrrrr]

But none of this will ever break my F__kin’ spirit.

The left want a battle....they F’d with the wrong person.

In my mind, I’m a very free man and the left CAN NEVER take THAT away!!!!

AMEN BRO! I’M THERE WITH YOU.

[sand88]

Hey Charles, your'e an idiot. If Sarah wins the GOP nomination I am 100% certain that you will endorse Obama. NO elite will ever support someone like Sarah. Their arrogance knows no bounds.

Hey Charles, you and your stupid elites from the Ivy league schools have done irreparable harm to our Republic!

Hey Charles, you and your piggish elite friends think with your superior intellects can construct an economic system (Socialism) and out perform Capitalism. Never will happen.

Charles, you and your elites buddies are true parasites on back of the productive in this society. You deserve nothing but contempt.

Hey Charles, if we had the Republic our Founders wanted us to have, (unbridled capitalism, almost unseen central govt), then we would be enjoying vacation homes on the Moon and Mars. Instead, with the left winning, we are being pushed into a Socialist sewer, all the while being told it's our fault.

[Bullish]

Yeah, I see you understand the situation but some people seem to think that unemployable middle aged folks are laying around at home collecting welfare from taxpayers or something, they’re not. That they’re too lazy to go find a job, they’re are not. The jobs aren’t there for millions of them.

They’re in as dire a shape as people during the depression and many have nowhere to turn if they don’t have relatives that will help. I don’t see any quick solution for them. Do you?

[ex-snook]

Sorry all your ideas would not create enough jobs quick enough. We can’t create enough new jobs here. Look at what you buy, see where it is made and you will see why our unemployment is high. We have to bring them back the old jobs we exported. Then those middle agers would be employed again doing what they did before. This is a no-brainer.

[Sir Napsalot]

My simplistic concern on this issue is that -

‘Middle Aged’ have the real world technology know-how, the young ones have the academic know-how.

It could be that the young can and will rediscover first hand knowledge, but it could be argued that they will benefit from learning from the ‘Middle Aged’.

Companies hiring the 20-somethings mostly for their cheaper starting salaries and ‘gambled’ on the technology transfer by the Middle Aged willingly and completely.

[applpie]

my personal advice to the employed in this market:

1. keep your skill set very competitive. it’s a hassle but we have to constantly assess the market and then update our skills (e.g., classes, certifications) to match what is on the horizon and what recruiters currently want.

2. keep your boat in the river. keep your resume updated and out on the internet so others can decide they can’t live without you.

3. let God have control of your life and career. you can do all you can do to help your situation, but ultimately it is comforting to know that someone else is in control and has your best in mind.

[ClearCase_guy]

About the only thing I'm sure of these days is that there are no quick solutions.

Back in the Great Depression, a lot of people understood how to grow food, make clothes, fix things, or do manual labor. Rough times, but people got by. And, let's face it, life expectancy (emphasis on "expectancy") was short. If you could "get by" until age 50 or 55, then you did OK and people didn't make a big deal out of it when you keeled over.

Today? So many people cannot produce food, makes clothes, or fix anything. And just about everyone feels they are above manual labor. And everyone expects (there's that word again) to live to be 75, while vacationing at their beach house and taking the occasional trip to Europe.

People want to act like it's 1998, but it's really 1933. We are not prepared. I think when it really hits home, a lot of heads will explode -- "What do you mean? I thought we had green shoots!"

[Max in Utah]

If America has something like 20 million people in that situation, then what happens next?

Hello rooftop, hello rifle.

[Logic n' Reason]

p.henry....excellent methods and ideas, these...
1. Reduce the risk of, and increase the potential gain from, creating a job. All federal, state, and local regulations and laws that disincentivise job creation should be reviewed, including those that ostensibly protect the environment and those that increase the difficuly of disciplining an employee who happens to be of a protected class.
2. Reduce or eliminate the corporate income tax. It makes no sense to tax corporate income twice, once at the corporate level and once at the dividend level.
3. Strictly enforce the ban on hiring illegals and forbid the participation of illegals in safety net programs.
4. Disincentivise idleness by reducing the level of support the unemployed receive - someone is going to have to do the jobs previously performed by the departed illegals.
If taken, these four steps would dramatically reduce the unemployment rate and improve all of our fortunes, monetary and otherwise.

However, the real "crux" of these four steps came in the last sentence above (underlined for our edification and enjoyment)

So...employing realism to these four steps, let's put a percentage on the probability of them happening in the next 5.5 years (the stain's full second term).

Step 1. = < 2%,
Step 2. = <5%,
Step 3. = ~15%,
Step 4. = ~ 20%

Now...next big challenge. Given the present state of the US economy, and the present political divisions...and assuming that the stain and his entire regime will be in power until 2016....please provide 4 steps that can be taken now - in the real world - that could actually happen and that would do the same amount of good the "fantasy" four steps already cited would do...but will never see the light of day.

[Logic n' Reason]

p.henry....excellent methods and ideas, these...
1. Reduce the risk of, and increase the potential gain from, creating a job. All federal, state, and local regulations and laws that disincentivise job creation should be reviewed, including those that ostensibly protect the environment and those that increase the difficuly of disciplining an employee who happens to be of a protected class.
2. Reduce or eliminate the corporate income tax. It makes no sense to tax corporate income twice, once at the corporate level and once at the dividend level.
3. Strictly enforce the ban on hiring illegals and forbid the participation of illegals in safety net programs.
4. Disincentivise idleness by reducing the level of support the unemployed receive - someone is going to have to do the jobs previously performed by the departed illegals.
If taken, these four steps would dramatically reduce the unemployment rate and improve all of our fortunes, monetary and otherwise.

However, the real "crux" of these four steps came in the last sentence above (underlined for our edification and enjoyment)

So...employing realism to these four steps, let's put a percentage on the probability of them happening in the next 5.5 years (the stain's full second term).

Step 1. = < 2%,
Step 2. = <5%,
Step 3. = ~15%,
Step 4. = ~ 20%

Now...next big challenge. Given the present state of the US economy, and the present political divisions...and assuming that the stain and his entire regime will be in power until 2016....please provide 4 steps that can be taken now - in the real world - that could actually happen and that would do the same amount of good the "fantasy" four steps already cited would do...but will never see the light of day.

Game on???