The Wall Street Journal quotes a number of economists who are saying a recession is in the offing.
Did we really need this panel of experts to tell us what we already know?
This comes as no news to those who have been unemployed. Out of work for days, months, years.
Now there’s a debate over the extension of unemployment benefits. I actually saw a guy interviewed on set at CNN yesterday say they should not be extended. Because that’s a disincentive to finding work.
He allowed as to how people on unemployment would rather wait until the benefits are about to expire to look for a job. They’ve got to get off their duffs and find jobs, he insisted.
The anchor seemed a bit taken back by all this. Asking the “expert” where the jobs are.
I know people who have been out of work for two, three and even four years now. Folks who have been hard working contributors to society all their adult lives.
Of course, by the CNN guest’s measure, they are all just enjoying retirement on the government’s dime. As if the meager unemployment benefits keep them in the lavish lifestyle to which they were accustomed when they were gainfully employed.
Then there are those who are employed. But make so little money that they have to hold down two, three or even four jobs.
Sometimes the jobs are related to their life long careers. Often they are not.
And sometimes, they are lucky enough to find jobs “off the books.” Working for cash money. That’s never reported to Uncle Sam.
Which, of course, contributes to the government shortfall. But at least they are working.
I guarantee you the people I know who are out of work would rather be gainfully employed than getting unemployment insurance.
I also guarantee you that to them, the Wall Street Journal article that we’re headed into another recession, comes as no news at all.
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Julie Morse
Ande Bliss
Barbara Joanne
Marilyn Sands
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RomanticPoetess
Salon.com
Comments
Why these people would honestly think the unemployed in today's economy are only unemployed because of disincentives--is beyond comprehension.
People who think like that just are out of touch with the real world.
But I have a friend who was unemployed for over two years—trying with every ounce of fiber to get a job—and who, now that he is employed, is back to his conservative song-and-dance about people who are unemployed are lazy or disinclined to work because they want to live off the dole!!!!
There is something of a disincentive to find work with benefit extensions, although what that work would be might not really be very efficient in terms of accumulated human capital, i.e. someone with corporate experience taking two jobs, one at the Walmart, and the other cleaning floors at night, which I have seen first hand, and was the argument for Georgia Works.
Some people however never know when being pushy goes too far, and destroy everything instead of getting close to what they want, socialists and capitalists alike, zionists and palestinians alike, Indians and Pakistanis alike as to strongly analogous policy disputes. Your expert's about 60 per cent wrong, not one hundred, but more than half, because the other thing he's not seeing is that if the corporations have failed in this manner, it means some of the unemployed actually would be the right ones to listen to per entrepreneurship, but private capital won't ever see that, again, at the risk of destroying everything, because people with a lot of money in those types of circles too often let that go to their head too much, as powerful people always do.
The problem with our economy is that the sole focus is, and has always been, corporate profit. It's time for a soul focus; a focus on jobs and well being of Americans. And don't get me started about corporations being people, too. R
There is starting to be some speculation about whether the economic conditions in this country could lead to violence like rioting. Oh yeah! I can see that happening if things continue.
There is little incentive for workers and consumers to help maintain the economy since there is little or nothing in it for them.
I do believe that none of us was prepared for the repercussions of a global economy. Along with the benefits of new markets and trading partners was the long range implication of interdependency. And that is entirely unpredictable. One government in jeopardy shakes financial markets around the world.
We may come to think of recession as the new status quo. I don't think we need economists to tell us what we already know. Things are not looking up.
Yep, pretty much everyone would rather be gainfully employed than receive unemployment. But "gainful" is the key word. If you gain nothing by accepting a particular job, and, in fact, will LOSE money by taking said job, the Department of Labor understands that this would be bad. If the people who run unemployment understand, why don't the "experts"?
Here's what happens when you fall from your white-collar perch (the subject of my book)...you not only lose your income, you lose your confidence, identity and your networks. People can smell the stink of fear and desperation and wriggle away from it as far and fast as they can. So, if you can even find one -- and good luck with that over 50! -- you take a low-wage, low-skills job. Part-time. You want fulltime but they're not being offered.
I attended a retailers' conference in Sept. 2010 and listened as a woman working a national chain of women's clothing stores giggled as she said they'd lowered (!) their hourly wages....because they could, because workers were so desperate. Then...OMG!!!! ...she was shocked that they were quitting the second they found something better.
The corporate greed and contempt for us as workers is endless and growing. This is is the vicious face of capitalism.