Justin

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What insults?

Jimi

"More bitching".

Maybe I'm just being touchy and bitchy. Got no sleep last night. Speaking of which, I'm going to take a nap.

Justin

The problem is, too many people get a job and expect to make a livable wage in it for the rest of their working career. When they are outdated they are let go. Now if these people had even botherd having a security blanket in their savings account that would give them plenty of time to improve or move into a seperate career.

I was on a day of sales calls the other day and I thought, You know with all of this road construction going on around san antonio one could get on a crew, learn the trade and be secure for a long time. If I got laid off, there are plenty of cities in the US I could go to.

So if anyone needs a job in san antonio I'm sure the road construction outfits are hiring.

Just because a person demands a livable wage, a wage that offers them the ability to buy things they currently cant afford doesnt entitle them to one.

They need to be worth it. Or they need to work harder in bettering their skills.

The work ethic of most people has gone down the tubes.

Justin

I was talking aobut people in general.

Jimi

Speaking of San Antonio, did we ever party? haha, I used to always party with KC, and Sam, and Todd, and Cockblock, and such. I believe you know them, am I mistaken?

Justin

I dont think we have met. I know KC and Todd.

Car Enthusiast

another thing i find funny about kerry, is his campaign attacks bush for giving benefits to outsourcing companies, but then when he talks about perscription drugs all he does is speak about canada, that to me seems american drug companies will lose money and either cut back wages to compete or fire people to save money to compete, either way, americans do have some major issues that need worked out on a personal level i think justin is right to say that we are the problem with outsourcing

AmorMiHombre

I think with the prices some Americans pay for their drugs, they should be allowed to go elsewhere to get what they need...We can for most other things. Elderly people or young people or anybody for that matter havnig to pay several hundreds and up to thousand or so PER prescription is ridiculous.

Justin

Watch the drug companies stop selling to canada if the gov't allows and encourages it.

Justin

encourages people to buy from canada i mean

nyast

As far as the percentages go, I think they're misleading for a variety of reasons. Fast food jobs were added to the manufacturing tally, thus if a worker is "downsized" from a real manufacturing job then hired at McDonald's, we achieve a net effect of zero (in manufacturing employment). Is there anyone who can give me a legitimate reason that we should consider the auto workers in Detroit the same as the high schooler screwing up your drive-thru order? [Reminds me of counting ketchup as a vegetable so that more Americans can be considered to be getting their daily intake of vegetables.]

In 1994, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) redisigned the Current Population Survey (CPS), the instrument used to measure the unemployment rate and unemployment duration.

Also, the unemployment rate also represents only those who are looking for work. Many have been unemployed for so long that they have quit "actively" looking and thus are not taken into account.

U Chicago Study - Read near the end of the 2nd page. "This suggests that ignoring unemployment durations and focusing only on the low unemployment rate at the end of the 1990s may overstate the strength of the US economy."

shade23z

I agree that unempoyment numbers are imperfect (as with a lot of economic data series), but I still think they are useful for trend analysis and historical perspective.

When the redesigned the CPS in 1994, did they retroactively adjust the previous data?

Even if we just look at the last 10-years if that's considered the only fair period for comparison, unemployment is still only slightly higher than the median, and I think that's not too bad considering 9/11 and the recession.

Outsourcing has been mentioned, and it's definitely a problem. The problem is not only with the spoiled American consumers demanding low prices, as Justin said, but also with the demanding American shareholders that are demanding high profits.

Funny how these threads go so off-topic. Edwards does have some kick-ass hair!

nyast

Very true. It creates a vicious circle that punishes companies for being off estimate, thus leading to "book cooking" in order to meet estimates. I just find it hard to believe that fast food can in any way be construed as manufacturing...unless you count the Sandwich Artists at Subway. They found a way to manufacture a salad in a bun.

Btw, did read this about the $90M Kmart compensation package?