Stop trading U.S. jobs away

New York Daily News ^ | May 25, 2003 | Lou Dobbs

[Bill Davis FR]

ITS TOO LATE...THE HORSE IS OUT OF THE BARN...WTO AND NAFTA RULE THE WAVES...

[FITZ]

$50,000 would be considered very good pay in this area where only 1 out of 3 people makes over $10 an hour ----but it's not too much over the level you can start collecting some of the freebies like Medicaid and Food Stamps.

"Budget writers agreed to keep CHIP income eligibility as it is now: families who earn twice the poverty level, or $36,800 annually for a family of four."

http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20030525-117411.shtml

[FITZ]

$20,000 a year gets you counted as employed but with that you and your entire family will qualify for the "earned income" welfare, food stamps, free lunch and breakfast at school, Medicaid and many others. You might just as well be on welfare for all that.

[lelio]

...and be counted as employed
Not to mention that if you go from being a Boeing machnist / engineer to working at WalMart as a greeter your influence on the unemployment number is the same.
In fact, it probably will increase the working hours / week figure as you'll have to work two jobs now.

[lelio]

There is no such thing as a level playing field.
That doesn't mean the US has to play the game and take the hits from competitors that are playing unfairly.
Moderate tariffs are one one of preventing a US company from selling out its employees so that the CEO can get a fat payoff. I don't think it is un-American or anti-"free trade" to hope that all Americans can benefit from a rising tide.

[hedgetrimmer]

Considering that Fidel Castro is in Argentina, as we speak, to celebrate the inaugration of the new president, I would say that most of Latin America is about to veer extremely and violently left.

[YankeeReb]

Unemployment rate does not measure the real joblessness. Many people are not counted, others are counted as employed if they do part time temporary odd jobs, while trying to get the real job back. There are lies, bigger lies and statistics.

Thank God someone else understands this, whenever I mention it to anyone I'm met with blank stares. The former EE who's forced to take a job at radio shack for $10.00/hr is not counted as unemployed, nor is the person who's unemployment ran out. You can't grow an economy with large segments of the work force doing temp jobs with no security and no benifits.

[Beck_isright]

"Considering that Fidel Castro is in Argentina, as we speak, to celebrate the inaugration of the new president, I would say that most of Latin America is about to veer extremely and violently left."

Check out Brazil's desire to develop a "Latino" nuke and you'll see just how far left it already has veered.

[SSN558]

"You need to re-read your history a bit more before you go off on such an ill-informed rant."

Actually I have been studying this for the last three years, and that is my take on it. The text book rules of economics are altered in practice and outcome, by the political and business coruption that you describe.

[AmericanVictory]

"Corporate leaders" do not create jobs,they ship them overseas. Job creation accompanies wealth creation, which overwhelmingly comes from new businesses surrounding breakthrough technology or innovations which are not the product of "corporate leaders" or the servile types who work for them. Corporate leaders and those climbing the ladder to be like them are more likely to block job creation than to originate it.

[FITZ]

Actually if I had stock in Walmart, I'd take it out and put it in Family Dollar or General Dollar stores now. Same if I needed a job ---I think Walmart is going to start seeing some serious competition because it's prices are too high. You can find better parking and cheaper prices at the new places going up all over. Why pay $15 for jeans when you can get them for $10? And if you try a Goodwill you can find them for $5. With wages dropping and unemployment rising, people need better bargains than Walmart can offer.

[FITZ]

Considering that Fidel Castro is in Argentina, as we speak, to celebrate the inaugration of the new president, I would say that most of Latin America is about to veer extremely and violently left.

And with the quickly worsening Mexican economy thanks to NAFTA and free trade ---can we be certain some of this extreme and violent left veering won't be right outside our borders?

[Beck_isright]

As sick as I am of our economy being shipped overseas, one job at a time, it's not the fault of corporate leaders. Just look to the US and state governments and you would see the real reason our corporations are fleeing. Don't blame the capitalists, they would rather stay here. But if the people will not reign in the rampant over-regulation and over taxation in our state and federal governments, then the corporations will go where the most favorable business climate happens to be at that moment.

[hedgetrimmer]

And with the quickly worsening Mexican economy thanks to NAFTA and free trade ---can we be certain some of this extreme and violent left veering won't be right outside our borders?

I am not sure that Fox could pull off a Chavez(as in Venezulela), but the next election could be very telling for Mexico.

[arete]

What are your solutions? High tariffs? Force people to buy expensive items that is only made in America?

We can start by getting big government (and their clueless lackeys at the FED) out of the economy all together. Ironically, those who post here all agree that central planning (as in socialism) doesn't work yet at the same time we expect a handful of morally corrupted and Wall Street sponsored politicians to provide us with an articficial fix. The ONLY solution is to suffer through the pain of the hangover from the 90's party and then rebuild on a solid economic base. Let the system clear itself and then move on. Central planning didn't work for the communists and socialists and it isn't going to work for us either.

Richard W.

[ex-snook]

thanks for ping.

The Bush-Clinton-Bush promises that 'free trade' will increase jobs is obviously a snow job. This is 'government to government' deals with lobbyist input that our reps can't change or see.

The truth is that these deals have swapped our jobs and factories for cheaper consumer goods. But the savings in product cost have been offset by the increase in government costs for crime and social disintegration. It's pay me now or pay me later, one way or the other.

I expect the same snow job in now in progress about dividend tax cuts producing jobs. Money is portable and the jobs will be created elsewhere.

[FITZ]

It looks like Fox's wife is going to try to pull a Hillary and become the next PAN president of Mexico. She's very politically ambitious ---maybe it's her calling the shots now. There's a new book out about her "La Jefa" (The Boss).

[FITZ]

I also don't think Fox could pull off a Chavez but I think there could be some anarchy in Mexico. The violence is escalating fast ---right now it isn't too political but you've got a lot of people over there with nothing to lose anymore. The protests could become very bloody if something doesn't turn around soon. Right now we're providing a very nice safety valve by allowing them to flood over the borders ---but if immigration was ever to slow down, things will heat up quickly in Mexico.

[A. Pole]

Not to mention that if you go from being a Boeing machnist / engineer to working at WalMart as a greeter your influence on the unemployment number is the same. In fact, it probably will increase the working hours / week figure as you'll have to work two jobs now.

Does it count as increased number of jobs?

[Prodigal Son]

The ONLY solution is to suffer through the pain of the hangover from the 90's party and then rebuild on a solid economic base.

No politician that advocates pain and suffering (even if it is the most rational choice) will get elected. That's the rub. The solution may be the correct one but this is where democracy interferes with the rational process. The party that promises to solve the problem with no pain- or indeed, gain- will get elected. Whether they deliver on that or not is a side issue. The fact that they get injected into the problem changes the nature of the problem (and therefore the solution).