tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912833783359356343.post2261175366755181379..comments2023-11-02T06:44:25.146-05:00Comments on Molly's Middle America: How Many Jobs Were Created or Lost in August 2012?Middle Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11441441493867436577noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912833783359356343.post-10053621695488010762012-09-18T08:13:02.981-05:002012-09-18T08:13:02.981-05:00Molly -- appreciate the regurgitation of graphs an...Molly -- appreciate the regurgitation of graphs and stats. We see too much finger pointing to symptoms (unemployment stats) in the media. I wish there were more Americans angered over the root causes. Here are few topics I'd love to have you write about:<br /><br />1)You report that we had a rise in private sector jobs, but many of those jobs don't go to Americans. Why? Unfortunately, there aren't enough skilled Americans. A big part is because our public school system is a mess. Steve Jobs, whom I think most people revere as a success story, shares in his biography that he spoke to President Obama about his frustration over having to hire foreign workers because there just weren't enough skilled programmers here. He encouraged Obama to take drastic measures to reform our education system. But unfortunately that's not a very sexy topic for Baby Boomers (the bulk of the voters that politicians are trying to win) who no longer have kids in school. <br /><br />2)most non-business savvy Americans are quick to point fingers at tax cuts to corporations. But the reality is businesses are created to be profitable and when your tax savvy CFO sees a huge gain to move half of your operation to China because corporate taxes are half what they are in America you do it. Another reality is that in America nobody wants to buy "made in America" if it's double the price of "made in China." Our actions often speak louder than our words. Americans are indirectly saying we don't care that product X was made else, just so long as it costs less -- put do they not realize that made elsewhere means those are fewer jobs in the US<br /><br />3) You call out the decrease in government jobs. It would be interesting to show how many states are on the verge of bankruptcy due to overspending and corrupt politicians (Illinois is not the only state to suffer this misfortune). This trend has nothing to do with the Federal government. It is, however, a eye-opener to the fact that whether you're a local, state of Federal government you can't spend what you don't have. Unfortunately, at the Federal level the Reserve just prints more money, which drives down the value of our dollar and creates a tidal wave effect. You don't have to have a degree in economics to understand that if $1 in your pocket was worth $1 a year ago and today it's only worth $.60 your money just doesn't go as far. So when the Federal Reserve announces it's going to cut interest rates again to encourage Americans to spend, the Federal Govt is really saying "we know your dollars aren't going as far any more so we're giving you an incentive to borrow more and get more in debt, but you'll spend that money and we'll get a false rise in the economy right before the election and give the president a much needed boost in the polls (well known tactic among every political group).Noranoreply@blogger.com