A Complete Waste of Space

Wullie wrote:Keep paying out that unemployment Nancy it's really making a BIG difference in the job market.

I would have probably agreed with you up to about 3 days back. I heard a sort of roundtable discussion between a widely varying group of economist on a radio show. One of them, a Republican, former advisor to W and Senate Republican staff, now at American Enterprise Institute(pretty conservative folks) say this:
"Actually, unemployment insurance has been consistently shown to have the most benefit for lowest deficit incurred of ANY government program". Then, he went on to back it up with numbers, while no one on the panel really had anything to rebut with. So, at this point, I'm not sure. Unemployment insurance does, as you say, add nothing to job creating, but it does apparently keep an economy afloat effectively.

My 16 year old can't even find a job sacking fucking groceries or working in a feed store!! WHY? Men with families are doing that to try to stay afloat. What does that tell you about our BIG ECONOMIC RECOVERY?

First off, it tells me something about the economy in Texas, and that apparently Republicans can't come up with a fix for this shit any better than Democrats. Next, let's discuss the 'Economic Recovery' and, exactly, what we are trying(or expecting) 'recovery' from. Sure, everyone knows that housing went into the shitter, and the market dropped pretty good. More people got laid off, more quickly due to this, but(and this is a huge caveat), we've been dropping manufacturing for 30 years, we've been outsourcing engineering and other tech work for 15 or so. Ever since Ronnie Raygun, every piece of legislative action and every norm of society has gone to favor money earned through investment over money earned through hard work. And, why? Because the public has been sold on the concept that greater investment income will drive economic growth and be good for workers. Bullshit. When you make cap gains pay half the tax of wage gains, and force every Tom, Dick and Harry into the equity markets to plan a pension, you merely force the corporations to try and maximize short term profits. Hence, Indian and East European engineers do the work for IBM that would have been done here. Mexicans build American cars, all our shit is assembled in other countries, Bangaledeshis make our clothing and Indians answer the help line for your local phone company. And, damned if it doesn't work just fine for the segment of our population that can live all righteous and stuff off of dividends, interest, trading margins and other investment vehicles. If that isn't working out for you, then just maybe you might wish to consider working and voting for those willing to change it. And, here's a hint for you all: it isn't the crowd yelling about small government and lowering taxation. It isn't the other side, that talks about Unemployment and getting more illegal immigrants naturalized, either. And, therein lies the problem: there really aren't too many elected officials that give a rat's ass about the trend we've been it. The recession simply made the situation more acute, and the recovery, no matter how robust isn't going to bring the job market people seem to be expecting back.

That kid, unlike his big brother, wants to work. He wants to fix up his old car and buy fun shit for his girlfriend. It kills him to ask me for gas money or to use my car because he has no gas for his. He's mowed all the lawns he can find and that isn't many and he's gathered up every scrap of aluminum within bicycle range of our house. The kid tries.

sounds like a fine son. I don't envy him, or any other kid his age, and I really fear for those the age of my new grandson.