How can we rise from this recession? (Union: unemployment, buying)

[willow9713]

Here is my ? to E1

What are you doing to build jobs within our boarders or for that matter within your state?

Also are unions helpful or harmful?

I realize the two don't go hand in hand

[OleTomCat]

Ok, to answer the title question put in place a stable tax plan, preferably The FairTax plan, business hates uncertainty, this stuff of righting a budget for the federal government two weeks at a time is not helping......

Cut spending, the government growth is out distancing the private sector growth....

Enforce immigration laws and seal our borders.....

Unions for the private sector know that if they keep hard bargaining the will kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, public sectors unions don't have the hanging over their heads, they just pay off the politicians they are negotiating with to get bigger contracts and get more money from the public...

[RestedTraveler]

In 2009, I spent a couple of months on the unemployment line after working for over a decade for a very large (80,000+ employees) company based out of California. This company essentially cast me aside after 10+ years and went and replaced me with 2-3 people from overseas (read, "India") for whom the company sponsored visas. The worst part is - there were untold (and unreported by the news media) hundreds more like me whom the company let go in small batches (50 this week, 100 next week, 50 more the week after that, etc.) only to be replaced either by people from overseas working in the U.S. on visas or by people working half way around the world.

I found myself wishing there was a union in place to protect my job and the jobs of my American co-workers at that point in time, believe me. Treating your employees this way for the sake of a larger profit margin is a demeaning and insulting practice and one for which federal regulation or tax incentives directly tied to hiring (and keeping) American employees is long overdue.

As for unions - Only about 3% of private sector employees are unionized, so the unions really have no power remaining in the private sector anymore. They don't matter nearly as much as they once did. If they did have any power at all, things like what happened to me would have been far less likely to have happened.

The news you keep hearing about the unions in Wisconsin and other states are for public employees (teachers, police officers, fire fighters, etc.)...and about 35% of public sector employees are unionized, so if the states can wring the public employee union towel a little more, they're going to milk every last drop of "expense" out of them.

[Barbara]

You got a raw deal that is all to common, corporate greed is alive and well.

[OleTomCat]

Originally Posted by Barbara

You got a raw deal that is all to common, corporate greed is alive and well.

Barbara, do you have a 401K, IRA or other type of retirement account, own any stocks?

Guess what you are the corporate greed, just like the rest of us, we are the corporations the share holders who make money when the companies make money.......

[scuba steve]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to OleTomCat again.

.

[OleTomCat]

Thanks Steve, which one was that for?

[scuba steve]

Both posts, really. But trying to choose between a fair tax, enforcing border security, and cutting spending is nearly an impossible decision for me.

[Barbara]

Executive pay is at a record high. Three companies on Long Island made the Fortune 500 list. I know people who work or have worked for some of these co's. Believe me, there are no trickeldown economics happening here. It is more similiar to the OP's situation for most of them. If I am part of corp greed due to my investments, 401K etc., where's my windfall? My stuff has remained pretty flat lately. I know many people are against gov't involvement (Tom), but I have to dissagree. As long as there is greed and corruption in the corporate world, there will be a need to police (regulate) it. I was talking to one of my local policitians about the medicade/medicare issue and he told me that currently there are laws prohibiting those agencys from using their collective buying power to bargen and negotiate prices with the pharmiceutical co's. I have not researched this so I can't claim it as fact. I hope he is wrong. I would like to find out though.

[OleTomCat]

Barb, if your investments are remaining flat you have bad investments, the stock market has been on a 6~9 month rocket ship, gaining nearly 30%......