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The Carter administration saw the bulk of 800 textile factories in the U.S. clos in the 70s. The trend continued into the 80s. In 1994, NAFTA, under Clinton, resulted in the loss of 100,000 textile jobs in the southeast. My friend who spent years in Asia supervising and relocating factories and products there was one of the biggies in the textile industry since the 50s. He put much of the blame of the prevailing attitude of these two presidents (and house members) that Americans were too good for that type of labor and it should go overseas. But as far as Obama doing anything positive here for Charlotte or any other place for which I am familiar, he has don't nothing noteworthy. Maybe I've missed something?[/QUOTE]
Let me help. For one, take a look at the cranes in the skyline, price of gas and stock market. National policies that serve as a catalyst and umbrella for state/local governments is the job of president and congress - the Obama administration provided security and stability with little to no help as advertised and practiced by congress.
Maybe you prefer a crashing stock market, $5 gas, 10+% unemployment and the financial sector on the brink of disaster which is a huge component of the Charlotte economy.
The large majority of CEOs are republicans (even more so decades ago) are those who coaxed and paid lobbyist to influence the powers on the hill (Dem and Repub) to the shift the manufacturing dynamic. It wasn't some silly ass notion of Americans being too good for that type of labor, but preferred cheap labor.
Regardless, it was bound to happen as automation and other technologies replaced non-skilled labor positions. Couple that with an evolving globally competitive environment, it made financial sense (sometimes greed) to offshore jobs. Now Americans will have to adapt and our economy evolve, this is the greatest country in the history of mankind, we will adapt and continue to be great as long as that orange thing stays away from Pennsylvania Ave.
I don't like arguments so I will only say that we came out of a recession. Take Economics 101 and you would understand that it wasn't Obama that had anything to do with it. Finally, you excuse credit the elimination of textiles due to an "evolving economy" and "technologies replaced non-skilled labor positions." The reality is that their interest were not on the working person, but on their own self-image. As far as Carter, he was just an nice but weak person. Again, you should take a Economics 101 course and maybe evolve to something more advanced afterwards.
Some interesting reading. Also, take a look at the number of people on food stamps and labor participation rate. Those things will also tell you more about the state of the economy.
Some interesting reading. Also, take a look at the number of people on food stamps and labor participation rate. Those things will also tell you more about the state of the economy.
I think the SNAP program (food stamps) is showing a declining trend with the improving economy and a 3 month limit. That said, I would agree with you that it needs to continue and hope we can improve the labor participation rate.
One reason the middle class is shrinking is the growth of the upper middle class - depending on how you measure "middle class" many families have left behind the label and are earning too much. America is a great place to live and work for many. I hope we can find stable low level jobs for the uneducated, but it will prove to be a difficult task for any leader.
I think the SNAP program (food stamps) is showing a declining trend with the improving economy and a 3 month limit. That said, I would agree with you that it needs to continue and hope we can improve the labor participation rate.
One reason the middle class is shrinking is the growth of the upper middle class - depending on how you measure "middle class" many families have left behind the label and are earning too much. America is a great place to live and work for many. I hope we can find stable low level jobs for the uneducated, but it will prove to be a difficult task for any leader.
The article you referenced doesn't hold a lot of promise:
"But a growing body of evidence suggests the economic expansion since the 2007-2009 financial crisis has enriched a much larger swath of the upper middle class, and that a deeper income divide is developing between that top quarter or so of the population and everyone else.
The latest piece of evidence comes from economist Stephen Rose of the Urban Institute, who finds in new research that the upper middle class in the U.S. is larger and richer than it’s ever been. He finds the upper middle class has expanded from about 12% of the population in 1979 to a new record of nearly 30% as of 2014.
“Any discussion of inequality that is limited to the 1% misses a lot of the picture because it ignores the large inequality between the growing upper middle class and the middle and lower middle classes,” said Mr. Rose. The Urban Institute is a nonpartisan policy research group."
****
According to the below article, the United States hemorrhaged 50,000 manufacturing jobs a *month*
The economy goes through economic cycles regardless of who is president. That being said, I don't put all of the blame on Obama in regards to the joblessness seen since 2008. What I have seen Obama do is to deny that full time jobs are dwindling and many people that would have ordinarily been in the work force have had to retire earl due to the lack of opportunities. I believe that his mindless siding with the bad guys and having beer summits, etc. has locally angered many law abiding citizens as well as his stand against cops and support for thugs. The best contribution has been when he kept his mouth closed and played golf. He has had a huge affect locally not so much on his "policies," but mainly for the lack of them. If you are a straight, job holding, tax paying, family supporting, law abiding individual, you are probably more likely to not appreciate Obama's time in office. He has contradicted our local negative feelings and positions on strong unionization and penalized us as a result. I will be soooo glad to see him gone. Many will disagree with me but in this country it is O.K. to disagree unless you are coming from the right side.
Lassielad is right in his first sentence but I disagree with the rest. Straight, job holding, tax paying, family supporting, law abiding individuals and families are richer today than they were when he was elected. It's ok to disagree and you're not a persecuted victim for claiming otherwise. There seems to be a competition over feeling victimized among both poles of the political spectrum. That said:
The question reminded me of a short article in the atlantic a while ago:
For many voters and pundits, the fact that the President of the United States presides over the economy makes him entirely responsible for the economy. This is not quite the Pottery Barn Theory of presidential power—"you break it, you buy it." Often, it resembles the Used Car Theory of presidential power—"it's broken, but you bought it." Like a lemon, the economy is constantly breaking down, demanding emergency fixes, or sputtering along with agonizing sluggishness. But if the Blinder/Watson paper tells us anything, it's that we should employ an informed humility about the White House's ability to control every ingredient that bakes into GDP growth and employment.
That's not to say policy is irrelevant to the economics of people's lives. On the contrary, we have mountains of evidence that Social Security dramatically reduces poverty, that cutting taxes raises take-home pay in the short run, and that passing a law to broaden health care coverage reduces the number of uninsured households. The fact that income inequality has grown in Republican administrations and fallen under Democrats illustrates a major point. The government has vast control over how much of your paycheck goes home with you and what your taxes are used for. But it exercises little control over the global vicissitudes that determine our overall growth, prices, and wages.
Maybe we'd be better off thinking about international economics less like Washington's little private laboratory and more like the weather—a massive force we cannot hope to control, even as we debate how to respond to its worst excesses.
Last edited by Essequamvideri; 07-29-2016 at 08:07 AM..
I believe that his mindless siding with the bad guys and having beer summits, etc. has locally angered many law abiding citizens as well as his stand against cops and support for thugs.
OK, I'll bite: what "bad guys" and "thugs" has he sided with and supported?
According to Gallup, when Obama took office in January 2009, 13% were satisfied with the way things were going in the US, 85% were not satisfied, the rest had no opinion.
According to the latest results of this same poll, 17% are satisfied, 82% are not satisfied, the rest had no opinion. That is not a lot better.
According to Gallup, when Obama took office in January 2009, 13% were satisfied with the way things were going in the US, 85% were not satisfied, the rest had no opinion.
According to the latest results of this same poll, 17% are satisfied, 82% are not satisfied, the rest had no opinion. That is not a lot better.
These types of polls are the main reason Trump does have a chance to win...a slim chance, but a chance nonetheless.
Which is scary as hell.
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