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There are a lot of excellent observations presented in this discussion and it is still as relevant as ever, too. Yes, Ross Perot was right. So was Ron Paul (and I don't see the media rushing to vindicate him, either --- remember how they laughed at his concern over the strength of the monetary system?).
No matter where we hail from politically, we need to acknowledge the "all of the above" realities that have contributed to this Great Recession. By far the most frequently overlooked are the free trade agreements and tax incentives that have undermined the American workforce. We're not just talking NAFTA or GATT but many such agreements worldwide --- with South Korea most recently --- which have collectively put the American workforce at a structural disadvantage.
Free trade is one thing, being's the world's sucker is another. The US is notorious for taking the worst deal at the trade negotiation table. We don't take ourselves as seriously as we should because we take for granted that we will always be the top dog and can afford to take a hit for the betterment of our up-and-coming trade partners. Except now Big Brother is sick and needs to get his own health in order or we will be ill prepared to go on helping everyone else.
Want to fix this mess? Here's a hint: Whomever the mainstream media and their sheeple derides, laughs at or downplays in an election should be seriously considered at the polls, whereas the earmark-spending, trick-turning, "brand name" incumbents should be voted out on both sides of the isle. Don't let the beguiling media personalities with their giant radio and TV megaphones make up your mind. Ask yourself why they ignore or fear such-and-such candidate (and I'm not talking about the leading candidates --- those are bought-and-paid-for corporate picks who play both sides of the fence on our dime).
We also need to spread the word: The "job creators" we've begun to hear so much about are generally in the small business sector and not, as we have been told, in the uber wealthy 2 percent. What jobs do the top 2 percent create? Polishing a yacht? Grooming one's show dogs? Racing a stallion? Working as a caddy? Gimme a break.
Despite all the news to the contrary, China will not be a super power without the continuing economic conveyor belt of a consumptive middle class --- which by in large they lack, in their own right, precisely because their country is so attractive for cheap labor. If we are truly to become competitive, by lower wages we too will not be able to afford to consume and that, too, will bring about the same result as we now pin on higher labor/taxation/regulatory standards --- fewer jobs. You see, there's more than one way to fall down a hill. Take away all the taxes and regulations you want and you may have a dozen other reasons why you're still standing on a slippery slope.
Ask yourself: What is the core issue? The core issue isn't whether we lower taxes or create tariffs it comes down to inequality: We can fix the labor disparity through a lower standard of living worldwide but it won't cure the regulatory or environmental issues. If we equalize the trade and regulatory environment, on the other hand, there may be less, if any advantage, to taking jobs thousands of miles overseas vs. production in one's own backyard.
Proposals we are likely to see in the months and years to come include: A) a push for equitable trade policies; B) a single currency solution; C) some form of world government --- which will open yet another can of worms.
Whatever the powers that be ultimately propose, any slowdown in the US will also be to the downfall of the developing world unless, instead of lowering all wages, we raise all wages. The answer is for more working people to move up the consumptive ladder. Poor people don't spend money no matter how much they labor, whereas rich people don't remain wealthy if few can afford their services or products no matter how much they labor to crank out those goods and services on behalf of their employers. That other form of disparity: wage inequality --- that growing gap between the earners at the top of the company and the vast majority of us in the lower 2/3 --- is really at the heart of any economic undoing. We may be toting smartphones but we are quickly becoming a peasant class nonetheless. What fool undercuts their own customer base by not paying their workers a reasonable wage? And yet, from the 1980s to the present day we have seen only one approach, an approach that is no longer working but the powers that be keep trying because it is the only thing this generation of MBAs knows: a squeeze-the-blood-from-the-turnip strategy that, in the past, worked to make Wallstreet tick along even as Main Street began to whine and later to groan. Now Main Street is choking to death and these parasitic business tactics need to change before the host draws its last breath.
As to regulation, yes it is a huge hindrance on establishing new businesses in terms of being competitive with those who have less headaches, hassles and fees to pay in order to play. However, to the extent those regulations keep our rivers from literally catching on fire as they did in the 1970s, we need them. Companies that are no longer based in the US are productive by doing what would be considered illegal or inhumane to the workers and the environment here in the US. Headlines here in the US frequently depict gruesome and freak genetic defects in animals and people alike in China where the environment is heavily polluted (poorly regulated). After all, the US greatest export is scrap, especially high-tech scrap and that is literally laden with lead and cadmium and other metals that are sickening people in the third world.
The answer is not to strip our regulatory framework down so that we can live just as filthily and fearfully as those in the Third World; rather to demand that First World businesses who conduct manufacturing in those developing nations RAISE the standard of pay and protection so that workers aren't at a massive disadvantage environmentally even as we are at an equal but opposite disadvantage competitively.
Once developing nations are no longer attractive to companies seeking to abuse workers and pollute the watersheds, jobs will be more likely to be created in the area where the good or service is actually sold. That will, in turn, cut down on the ridiculous practice of creating something that will sell for $5 at Walmart while spending gobs of increasingly high oil dollars putting it on a filthy cargo ship back to the US. When transportation prices increase and labor and environmental standards are more uniform worldwide, we will see more jobs here because it won't make sense to ship that far from manufacturer to market for a shrinking wage/labor advantage. Again, it is the DISPARITY in our trade, tax, environmental and labor laws that is creating this economic mayhem and codependency of the international financial markets. Stop the inequalities and we will stop the employment loss AND raise up a middle class in all respective markets/countries.
The American middle class is the beef in the hamburger. If we're asking "where's the beef?" we can answer our own question: We've reached critical mass after so many years offshoring, insourcing and lopsided corporate tax breaks and incentives. This nightmare was bound to happen but many of us did not put two-and-two together because the media keeps us fixated on the usual partisan blame game. And yet the truth is simple: This is not a partisan Recession. It's a global game that has crossed "musical chairs" with "chicken". As long as there is such a thing as Big Business there will be a Big Government to match. If we want this situation to change we have to value the little job creators, not the corporate giants.
Structural unemployment is here to stay until we revolt against corruption. Of course, we can always start with gentler means --- campaign finance reform, for starters. As overwhelming as the problem may seem, it doesn't come down to the giant battles nobody knows how to win --- it comes down to the little things that all of us have the power to challenge and change in our own individual way.
Go forth and be empowered! Spread the word as to what really underlies this double-dip recession!
There are a lot of excellent observations presented in this discussion and it is still as relevant as ever, too. Yes, Ross Perot was right. So was Ron Paul (and I don't see the media rushing to vindicate him, either --- remember how they laughed at his concern over the strength of the monetary system?).
No matter where we hail from politically, we need to acknowledge the "all of the above" realities that have contributed to this Great Recession. By far the most frequently overlooked are the free trade agreements and tax incentives that have undermined the American workforce. We're not just talking NAFTA or GATT but many such agreements worldwide --- with South Korea most recently --- which have collectively put the American workforce at a structural disadvantage.
Free trade is one thing, being's the world's sucker is another. The US is notorious for taking the worst deal at the trade negotiation table. We don't take ourselves as seriously as we should because we take for granted that we will always be the top dog and can afford to take a hit for the betterment of our up-and-coming trade partners. Except now Big Brother is sick and needs to get his own health in order or we will be ill prepared to go on helping everyone else.
Want to fix this mess? Here's a hint: Whomever the mainstream media and their sheeple derides, laughs at or downplays in an election should be seriously considered at the polls, whereas the earmark-spending, trick-turning, "brand name" incumbents should be voted out on both sides of the isle. Don't let the beguiling media personalities with their giant radio and TV megaphones make up your mind. Ask yourself why they ignore or fear such-and-such candidate (and I'm not talking about the leading candidates --- those are bought-and-paid-for corporate picks who play both sides of the fence on our dime).
We also need to spread the word: The "job creators" we've begun to hear so much about are generally in the small business sector and not, as we have been told, in the uber wealthy 2 percent. What jobs do the top 2 percent create? Polishing a yacht? Grooming one's show dogs? Racing a stallion? Working as a caddy? Gimme a break.
Despite all the news to the contrary, China will not be a super power without the continuing economic conveyor belt of a consumptive middle class --- which by in large they lack, in their own right, precisely because their country is so attractive for cheap labor. If we are truly to become competitive, by lower wages we too will not be able to afford to consume and that, too, will bring about the same result as we now pin on higher labor/taxation/regulatory standards --- fewer jobs. You see, there's more than one way to fall down a hill. Take away all the taxes and regulations you want and you may have a dozen other reasons why you're still standing on a slippery slope.
Ask yourself: What is the core issue? The core issue isn't whether we lower taxes or create tariffs it comes down to inequality: We can fix the labor disparity through a lower standard of living worldwide but it won't cure the regulatory or environmental issues. If we equalize the trade and regulatory environment, on the other hand, there may be less, if any advantage, to taking jobs thousands of miles overseas vs. production in one's own backyard.
Proposals we are likely to see in the months and years to come include: A) a push for equitable trade policies; B) a single currency solution; C) some form of world government --- which will open yet another can of worms.
Whatever the powers that be ultimately propose, any slowdown in the US will also be to the downfall of the developing world unless, instead of lowering all wages, we raise all wages. The answer is for more working people to move up the consumptive ladder. Poor people don't spend money no matter how much they labor, whereas rich people don't remain wealthy if few can afford their services or products no matter how much they labor to crank out those goods and services on behalf of their employers. That other form of disparity: wage inequality --- that growing gap between the earners at the top of the company and the vast majority of us in the lower 2/3 --- is really at the heart of any economic undoing. We may be toting smartphones but we are quickly becoming a peasant class nonetheless. What fool undercuts their own customer base by not paying their workers a reasonable wage? And yet, from the 1980s to the present day we have seen only one approach, an approach that is no longer working but the powers that be keep trying because it is the only thing this generation of MBAs knows: a squeeze-the-blood-from-the-turnip strategy that, in the past, worked to make Wallstreet tick along even as Main Street began to whine and later to groan. Now Main Street is choking to death and these parasitic business tactics need to change before the host draws its last breath.
As to regulation, yes it is a huge hindrance on establishing new businesses in terms of being competitive with those who have less headaches, hassles and fees to pay in order to play. However, to the extent those regulations keep our rivers from literally catching on fire as they did in the 1970s, we need them. Companies that are no longer based in the US are productive by doing what would be considered illegal or inhumane to the workers and the environment here in the US. Headlines here in the US frequently depict gruesome and freak genetic defects in animals and people alike in China where the environment is heavily polluted (poorly regulated). After all, the US greatest export is scrap, especially high-tech scrap and that is literally laden with lead and cadmium and other metals that are sickening people in the third world.
The answer is not to strip our regulatory framework down so that we can live just as filthily and fearfully as those in the Third World; rather to demand that First World businesses who conduct manufacturing in those developing nations RAISE the standard of pay and protection so that workers aren't at a massive disadvantage environmentally even as we are at an equal but opposite disadvantage competitively.
Once developing nations are no longer attractive to companies seeking to abuse workers and pollute the watersheds, jobs will be more likely to be created in the area where the good or service is actually sold. That will, in turn, cut down on the ridiculous practice of creating something that will sell for $5 at Walmart while spending gobs of increasingly high oil dollars putting it on a filthy cargo ship back to the US. When transportation prices increase and labor and environmental standards are more uniform worldwide, we will see more jobs here because it won't make sense to ship that far from manufacturer to market for a shrinking wage/labor advantage. Again, it is the DISPARITY in our trade, tax, environmental and labor laws that is creating this economic mayhem and codependency of the international financial markets. Stop the inequalities and we will stop the employment loss AND raise up a middle class in all respective markets/countries.
The American middle class is the beef in the hamburger. If we're asking "where's the beef?" we can answer our own question: We've reached critical mass after so many years offshoring, insourcing and lopsided corporate tax breaks and incentives. This nightmare was bound to happen but many of us did not put two-and-two together because the media keeps us fixated on the usual partisan blame game. And yet the truth is simple: This is not a partisan Recession. It's a global game that has crossed "musical chairs" with "chicken". As long as there is such a thing as Big Business there will be a Big Government to match. If we want this situation to change we have to value the little job creators, not the corporate giants.
Structural unemployment is here to stay until we revolt against corruption. Of course, we can always start with gentler means --- campaign finance reform, for starters. As overwhelming as the problem may seem, it doesn't come down to the giant battles nobody knows how to win --- it comes down to the little things that all of us have the power to challenge and change in our own individual way.
Go forth and be empowered! Spread the word as to what really underlies this double-dip recession!
that is a well written post, but i do think you are might be arguing two contradictory positions-government regulation and free market.
if you want an economic recovery you have to get the government out of the way. the government is impeding the small businesses and protecting their lobbyists. it wasn't just offshoring that destroyed this economy. it is american government regulation and pulling of wealth from the entire private sector.
look at all the statistics amassed on this site on the growth of government AND DEPENDENCE and the corresponding demise of the private sector:
it is really a comprehensive site with a breakdown of how we got where we are (since world war 2), and quite an eye opener as to how the balance has shifted over the years to the point we are at now.
There are a lot of excellent observations presented in this discussion and it is still as relevant as ever, too. Yes, Ross Perot was right. So was Ron Paul (and I don't see the media rushing to vindicate him, either --- remember how they laughed at his concern over the strength of the monetary system?).
No matter where we hail from politically, we need to acknowledge the "all of the above" realities that have contributed to this Great Recession. By far the most frequently overlooked are the free trade agreements and tax incentives that have undermined the American workforce. We're not just talking NAFTA or GATT but many such agreements worldwide --- with South Korea most recently --- which have collectively put the American workforce at a structural disadvantage.
Free trade is one thing, being's the world's sucker is another. The US is notorious for taking the worst deal at the trade negotiation table. We don't take ourselves as seriously as we should because we take for granted that we will always be the top dog and can afford to take a hit for the betterment of our up-and-coming trade partners. Except now Big Brother is sick and needs to get his own health in order or we will be ill prepared to go on helping everyone else.
Want to fix this mess? Here's a hint: Whomever the mainstream media and their sheeple derides, laughs at or downplays in an election should be seriously considered at the polls, whereas the earmark-spending, trick-turning, "brand name" incumbents should be voted out on both sides of the isle. Don't let the beguiling media personalities with their giant radio and TV megaphones make up your mind. Ask yourself why they ignore or fear such-and-such candidate (and I'm not talking about the leading candidates --- those are bought-and-paid-for corporate picks who play both sides of the fence on our dime).
We also need to spread the word: The "job creators" we've begun to hear so much about are generally in the small business sector and not, as we have been told, in the uber wealthy 2 percent. What jobs do the top 2 percent create? Polishing a yacht? Grooming one's show dogs? Racing a stallion? Working as a caddy? Gimme a break.
Despite all the news to the contrary, China will not be a super power without the continuing economic conveyor belt of a consumptive middle class --- which by in large they lack, in their own right, precisely because their country is so attractive for cheap labor. If we are truly to become competitive, by lower wages we too will not be able to afford to consume and that, too, will bring about the same result as we now pin on higher labor/taxation/regulatory standards --- fewer jobs. You see, there's more than one way to fall down a hill. Take away all the taxes and regulations you want and you may have a dozen other reasons why you're still standing on a slippery slope.
Ask yourself: What is the core issue? The core issue isn't whether we lower taxes or create tariffs it comes down to inequality: We can fix the labor disparity through a lower standard of living worldwide but it won't cure the regulatory or environmental issues. If we equalize the trade and regulatory environment, on the other hand, there may be less, if any advantage, to taking jobs thousands of miles overseas vs. production in one's own backyard.
Proposals we are likely to see in the months and years to come include: A) a push for equitable trade policies; B) a single currency solution; C) some form of world government --- which will open yet another can of worms.
Whatever the powers that be ultimately propose, any slowdown in the US will also be to the downfall of the developing world unless, instead of lowering all wages, we raise all wages. The answer is for more working people to move up the consumptive ladder. Poor people don't spend money no matter how much they labor, whereas rich people don't remain wealthy if few can afford their services or products no matter how much they labor to crank out those goods and services on behalf of their employers. That other form of disparity: wage inequality --- that growing gap between the earners at the top of the company and the vast majority of us in the lower 2/3 --- is really at the heart of any economic undoing. We may be toting smartphones but we are quickly becoming a peasant class nonetheless. What fool undercuts their own customer base by not paying their workers a reasonable wage? And yet, from the 1980s to the present day we have seen only one approach, an approach that is no longer working but the powers that be keep trying because it is the only thing this generation of MBAs knows: a squeeze-the-blood-from-the-turnip strategy that, in the past, worked to make Wallstreet tick along even as Main Street began to whine and later to groan. Now Main Street is choking to death and these parasitic business tactics need to change before the host draws its last breath.
As to regulation, yes it is a huge hindrance on establishing new businesses in terms of being competitive with those who have less headaches, hassles and fees to pay in order to play. However, to the extent those regulations keep our rivers from literally catching on fire as they did in the 1970s, we need them. Companies that are no longer based in the US are productive by doing what would be considered illegal or inhumane to the workers and the environment here in the US. Headlines here in the US frequently depict gruesome and freak genetic defects in animals and people alike in China where the environment is heavily polluted (poorly regulated). After all, the US greatest export is scrap, especially high-tech scrap and that is literally laden with lead and cadmium and other metals that are sickening people in the third world.
The answer is not to strip our regulatory framework down so that we can live just as filthily and fearfully as those in the Third World; rather to demand that First World businesses who conduct manufacturing in those developing nations RAISE the standard of pay and protection so that workers aren't at a massive disadvantage environmentally even as we are at an equal but opposite disadvantage competitively.
Once developing nations are no longer attractive to companies seeking to abuse workers and pollute the watersheds, jobs will be more likely to be created in the area where the good or service is actually sold. That will, in turn, cut down on the ridiculous practice of creating something that will sell for $5 at Walmart while spending gobs of increasingly high oil dollars putting it on a filthy cargo ship back to the US. When transportation prices increase and labor and environmental standards are more uniform worldwide, we will see more jobs here because it won't make sense to ship that far from manufacturer to market for a shrinking wage/labor advantage. Again, it is the DISPARITY in our trade, tax, environmental and labor laws that is creating this economic mayhem and codependency of the international financial markets. Stop the inequalities and we will stop the employment loss AND raise up a middle class in all respective markets/countries.
The American middle class is the beef in the hamburger. If we're asking "where's the beef?" we can answer our own question: We've reached critical mass after so many years offshoring, insourcing and lopsided corporate tax breaks and incentives. This nightmare was bound to happen but many of us did not put two-and-two together because the media keeps us fixated on the usual partisan blame game. And yet the truth is simple: This is not a partisan Recession. It's a global game that has crossed "musical chairs" with "chicken". As long as there is such a thing as Big Business there will be a Big Government to match. If we want this situation to change we have to value the little job creators, not the corporate giants.
Structural unemployment is here to stay until we revolt against corruption. Of course, we can always start with gentler means --- campaign finance reform, for starters. As overwhelming as the problem may seem, it doesn't come down to the giant battles nobody knows how to win --- it comes down to the little things that all of us have the power to challenge and change in our own individual way.
Go forth and be empowered! Spread the word as to what really underlies this double-dip recession!
Excellent post! The only thing I would add is that empowerment comes from knowledge. It is the people’s responsibility to educate themselves. Unfortunately, the vast majority have shunned that responsibility.
I am afraid that the willingness to do what is necessary only comes after the pain of austerity, forces it.
This situation did not just happen. It was a planned campaign, in which every circumstance was choreographed in order to lay the ground work for the next step. Until people understand who was behind it, and what the agenda is, they will continue to waste their attention and efforts on peripheral issues, and be unable to focus on the real issues facing them and the future of this country.
it all comes down to the same problem-more people are dependent on the government now.
they don't feel that they can't criticize or change the very structure that they are dependent on. i think a lot of people are aware of the fraud, don't like the fraud, but feel powerless to stop the fraud.
it is all there in black and white, printed by our government, for anyone to see.
i can't believe that people don't see what is going on though, with all of that money printed by the federal reserve and distributed to foreign banks and corrupt banksters here. if that same money had been channeled into job creation, the problem would have ended.
they don't want the problem to end-because it takes away government power. energy independence and small business growth would power this country out of any recession.
notice how our congressional leaders took a recess rather than dealing with the FAA business, costing taxpayers yet more money?
i fail to see what resentment for a government which is willing to sell its working population out for corporate money has to do with jealousy. this isn't a class envy issue at all. this issue is about establishing the stability of this country, which can only be done by having a healthy segment of the population working. people need to look beyond short term profit and think ahead.
I generally agree....but....
1) Which president signed NAFTA despite huge union opposition?
2) The american people clearly don't care about made in USA...they want cheap.
With that said, this is what you get for aligning yourself tightly to a single political party. They will sell you down the river in a heartbeat and the American People don't give a crap either.
So, the companies were smart enough to figure these truths out and rather than go bankrupt trying to sell their widgets for $1 more they moved operations. The unions took their hardest blow in decades as they were thrown under the bus....but their leadership still tells them to vote and contribute to the same people that screwed them over instead of striking out as independent and issues oriented.
Any organization that isn't hard-core issues oriented in american politics is doomed to be ineffectual. They will be taken for granted and politically hijacked.
Building a significant business structure in America is like building a house of cards while on a seesaw. The Democrats get into office and heavily regulate and control things. Eight years later the Pubs take over and deregulate and decontrol things. America businesses who move out are simply trying to get off the seesaw and the lawyers and accountants it takes to ride it.
Nafta was passed by Clinton as Perot sat and watched . Perot knew. I voted Perot.
The labor unions said Clinton opened up the candy store for votes to get Nafta passed.
You want a bridge , give me your vote to pass it was Clintons style.
Sounds like Obamacare . Arm twisting with goodies attached to get Obamacare passed. Neither passed on MERIT!
Heck, Illegals don't all have to come over the border by foot. No... since the trucks started rolling into the USA from Mexico we were overrun by illegals.. they were trucked in because the trucks can come over the border when Nafta passed. They can't check every truck.. maybe 2% are checked.
America is good! Illegals have many anchor babies and get welfare checks while the men work in construction, ,restaurants , and get a trade. They double dip into the economy from both sides, working and welfare. Billions of our American dollars going to Mexico. In 20 years all those anchor babies are going to change the name of America to Mexamerica.They will have the vote to do it.
Food stamps push food prices up. Supply and demand. Free food while Americans are jobless and losing their homes,losing their 401k's and losing the American Dream.
Nafta was passed by Clinton as Perot sat and watched . Perot knew. I voted Perot.
The labor unions said Clinton opened up the candy store for votes to get Nafta passed.
You want a bridge , give me your vote to pass it was Clintons style.
Sounds like Obamacare . Arm twisting with goodies attached to get Obamacare passed. Neither passed on MERIT!
Heck, Illegals don't all have to come over the border by foot. No... since the trucks started rolling into the USA from Mexico we were overrun by illegals.. they were trucked in because the trucks can come over the border when Nafta passed. They can't check every truck.. maybe 2% are checked.
America is good! Illegals have many anchor babies and get welfare checks while the men work in construction, ,restaurants , and get a trade. They double dip into the economy from both sides, working and welfare. Billions of our American dollars going to Mexico. In 20 years all those anchor babies are going to change the name of America to Mexamerica.They will have the vote to do it.
Food stamps push food prices up. Supply and demand. Free food while Americans are jobless and losing their homes,losing their 401k's and losing the American Dream.
Not an accident.
That's pretty much the plan.
Mexico for labor, Canada for resources.
US Bankers and Transnational Corporations running the show and you . . . well, you . . . you may be a little bit surplus.
[Phil mumbles under breath -- please, please nothing as stupid as "Drill, Baby, Drill."]
drill baby drill.
more oil brings down energy prices, plain and simple.
instead, we got a jackass congress which funds oil development in OTHER countries at OUR expense, while we promise to buy the oil that they will create. DUH!
if the federal reserve can "loan" trillions of dollars to other countries at zero percent interest, it could easily have loaned it to our country to start the infrastructure needed for natural gas development.
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