WHAT THE JOBLESS STATS DON'T REVEAL

If your comments are correct, it indicates to me that the employment picture is better than government measures would suggest.

Not working for a big company or on someone else's payroll does not mean one is not working, and many people make more money working for themselves than they would working for someone else. (That's not to say that you always make more working for yourself, but the implication of your citation, that we should assume those who are working for themselves are worse off than if they were on someone's payroll, is also not a given. So why do they present it as one?)

Out of curiosity, do you support Bush's free trade policies, Scrat?

"......it indicates to me that the employment picture is better than government measures would suggest." Scrat


Well, if someone with a degree in computer science is forced to take a job at Home Depot selling lumber qualifies as a "better" employment picture to you, then what can I possibly say? LOL!!!

I don't automatically assume that everyone with a degree in computer science has a spotless job history and has done everything he or she could to land a job in his or her field. Of course, I do recognize that some people have to take jobs outside their skills and for less than they'd like when the job market is tight, but those tend to be temporary arrangements. There's no question the job market could be better, but if our choices are for these people to work for less money for a period of time or to not work at all for that period of time, I'd say the fact that they are finding some work is better news than would be a report that they had none.

Let me throw in my two cents worth. I do support free trade. I'm not at all convinced that Bush does - tariffs on Canadian timber, many grades of steel, & agriculture (especially sugar) leave me unconvinced.

"I'd say the fact that they are finding some work is better news than would be a report that they had none." Scrat

Ah yes.

The culture of dimished expectations that permeate the vast majority of the Bush loyalists.

Funny, on this I trush Bush more than you. Tee hee.

I support free trade, and think Bush does as well (but has shown a willingness to flip flop for key political victories).

I console myself in that he undoes a lot of the protectionism after the fact.

As opposed to the expectations that just because someone has a degree they should be handed everything in life?

That's the way it usually works, fish.

You do the hard work, earn a degree, become qualified for a good job, and are compensated accordingly.

That's why a surgeon makes more than a cashier at WalMart.

Titus has obviously missed the point.

If their is no need for a surgeon, then they will need to re-think their career path. I went to college to be a teacher, I am now a network administrator because I needed to feed my family. Not everything works out as you planned it in college.

Unfortunately, there are too many people in this country working as "independent contractors" for large companies.

One of the benefits for the company, besides screwing the "employee" out of vacation, sick pay, etc., is the social security scam they have going.

Many large corporations are using a social security loophole originally designed to help small businesses.

Rather than paying their half like they should... they pay nothing. The employee/ independent contractor (what a obnoxious friggin' euphemism) pays half and the taxpayer pays the other half.

It's all about greed.

gus:

Precisely.

Screwing Americans out of career, house and home is the GOP mantra.

I can't recall the name of the financial analyist I heard speak on the issue of jobs this week, but she stated a string of statistics re recent substantial corporate earnings, increase in personal wealth, increase in durable goods, etc. She stated the economy is booming and the fact that job creation has been disappointing is that we also have seen large increases in productivity. The more productive American workers are, the fewer workers are necessary to do the work. Also a 20-year trend continues sending health costs through the roof.

Rather than hire a new employee with related costs for health care, FICA, unemployment insurance, workers compensation etc., employers are authorizing more overtime than ever for existing employees. Result: fewer new jobs being created.

She further said this happens ever so often and soon a new industry is created to pick up the slack. It will be interesting to see what the next new industry will be.

John Kerry is promising 12 million new jobs if he is elected when in fact a president cannot create a single job except by hiring more people to work in government. It is neither Bill Clinton's nor George Bush's fault that we aren't creating a lot of new jobs now; however unemployment numbers remain fairly stable across the country.

Oh.....and I am self employed and I can assure everybody I work very hard indeed. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Foxfyre

Ah yes, the culture of wishful negativism and willful ignorance that permeates the vast majority of the far left. :wink:

"Ah yes, the culture of wishful negativism and willful ignorance that permeates the vast majority of the far left." Scrat

Imitation is the highest form of flattery. :wink: