Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I just wish they looked at the numbers from the first one and try something different.
That first one didn't really accomplish what it was supposed to and cost way to much for what was accomplished. And on top of that where is the funding for the continued employment of all those temps hired from the first one ?
Scrap NAFTA, CAFTA, WTO, etc and impose tariffs on foreign-made goods. That can help get some jobs back.
Universal health care would help. It relives the burden of health care costs off businesses and can help employ lots of doctors and nurses. Despite all this rhetoric that nursing is such a hot field, there are hospitals in my state that have a hiring freeze because they aren't making enough money.
Even though, I'm a liberal I agree with scrapping NAFTA. It would open up a lot of blue collar jobs and create an instant tax base in Ca, AZ. etc. The problem is neither side wants to touch it with a 10 foot pole. Dems feel they'd lose the Mexican-american votes, Reps think they'd isolate themselves even more in terms of race.
Since GDP always includes government expenditures, GDP is what it is. So if you want to argue that recent rises in GDP don't reflect an increase in private sector productivity, that's fine but calling the figures for GDP fake is a bit suspect.
Mort Zuckerman was recently on Meet The Press saying one has to look behind the numbers and that the increase in the GDP is primarily due to iinventory reduction, not production, and not representative of actual growth at this time. Other analysts on CNBC have said the same thing - the GDP number was due to inventory reduction. Now, in future, with inventories down, if the GDP numbers remain positive, then, the economy, in fact, might actually be growing. In Wisconsin, the manufacturing numbers are improving slightly, so that should help the GDP in a legitimate way.
Of course, corporate profits right now are primarily a result of reduction in workforce, not an increase in revenues. The overall stock market will be stalled in this holding pattern now for a while, although certain companies will show gains.
I am only recently unemployed relative to y'all, but have received two calls on resumes sent, one just this last week where I did a lengthy phone interview. Interviewer said she was very disturbed at the numbers of responses to her job posting. (guess if you're working, you really don't know how bad things are.) I had replied three weeks ago. She said she was culling through before calling. It's taken her that long. Nonetheless, I think there may be a slight pickup taking place - at least here.
On the actual jobs numbers, I had heard last year several economists on CNBC saying unemployment could go to 12% or higher this year and next. Because of that, I've never expected any kind of a quick turnaround and am surprised the official number has stabilized at around 10% = at least for now. (I know it's 17-18 million if we count everybody).
When 7-8 million jobs have disappeared within the space of two-three years, they cannot be replaced overnight. Other articles I've read say it will take untll 2015 or longer to get the unemployment rate to a reasonable figure. What I am most worried about is wages. It seems they have deflated to late '90s levels. That's a shame.
To expect the stimulus - most of which money hasn't been used yet - to perform miracles in less than a year is extremely unrealistic. This will be a long, slow slog.
2 million jobs at 50k yearly is 100 billion. Good thing we only paid 750 BILLION extra for those results.
Ever bid a government project?
They are the only people on earth that can take a $4 million dollar project and turn it into a $20 million boondoggle.
For example can someone tell me why the government would spend millions extra in construction in earthquake protection for Homestead Air Force Base outside of Miami, Florida? Got a lot of ground shaking goin on around Miami?
It is as if powers that be couldn't decide where earthquake protection was needed so to be safe they decided to do it everywhere as if your money was no object.
The mat is beyond meso you do it. That emans for 1% it cost 758 billion dollars.so to lose another 5% ;what would the obamacost cost total.Why not just pay the people off in cash;because obviously with a jobs bill Obama and everyone else thinks its run it course creating jobs.What you want to bet that money goes to teh same specail intest groups the first did. Pork anyone?
Tariffs don't work that well because they can do what we do and it gets messy. What would accomplish the same thing and be good for everyone is to ask our trading partners to pay their workers more. Say $5/day to start with and working towards US minimum wage. The $5 a day wage goes back to what Henry Ford paid his workers about 100years ago here. And if they decide not to pay their workers more then we back it up with a big tariff.
Why the right think the results of the stimulus are supposed to be wrapped up and done in a few hours, as if it were a TV movie, is just beyond me.
Why the left would think that the time involved in the stimulus changes the math of the cost per job, is beyond me..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
