Stumble It!
Dec 15 2008
(Yet Another) Perfect Storm
We all know the patriotic, American way is to set up an offshore account for your business so that you don’t have to pay any of those damn liberal, commie taxes. It’s fulfilling your duty to your country (that you love so much you put a flag sticker on the back of your SUV to prove it) to outsource your jobs because 13 year-olds in third world countries don’t care about the bennies as much as they do that $1.26 a week.
In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s a lot of folks out of work lately. We’re experiencing the highest unemployment rates in nearly a half-century, and many more are expected. In order to keep jobs here in America, some of the “heartland”, or “rustbelt”, or “Redneckistan” states did what anyone would have done in their situation: they lied. They artificially lowered or decreased unemployment taxes on business to keep the jobs in their states. In cases like Indiana and Michigan, this created a “perfect storm“– while unemployment taxes went down, unemployment rates went up, causing those states to borrow money from the federal government to pay those benefits.
Indiana and Michigan have been insolvent for two months(in Indiana’s case) to a year (Michigan’s case), and as many as 30 other states are reaching the point of insolvency. While the cynical among us would say something asinine like, “get another job”, we don’t have them. Not ones that pay a living wage. Not ones that provide health insurance or retirement, at least. And now that union busting is becoming as fashionable as celebrity rehab, we won’t be seeing any jobs that offer incentives other than maybe scrimping by month to month.
The Wonka-vator couldn’t find our debt ceiling; we’ve (literally) spent the last eight years. The Bush Administration expanded our deficit to the point that my grandchildren will be paying for their mistakes, and all he got were a pair of knock-off Capezios thrown at him? The party of small government and “fiscal conservatism” presided over the largest expansion of the federal government since the New Deal, and turned a balanced budget with a $5 billion surplus into an $11 trillion dollar debt.
These aren’t lazy, shiftless bums losing their jobs. They’re your friends, your neighbors, your loved ones. It’s time to cast aside the ri-damn-diculous notion that anyone without a job is a pariah, and try to find some fucking solutions.
and boom goes the dynamite. With 2 million jobs lost since the start of the recession and more on the way, this is something that hopefully we can finally start solving. Great point about the states too (cities are having huge financial problems as well - which will only lead to more job cuts). I smell another bailout.
I don’t know if a bailout would even solve the problem. Congress just voted to extend unemployment services up to 46 months in some states. However, once your benefits are up(in most cases, 20-26 months), you are no longer considered unemployed.
We lost 1.6 million jobs in 2007, and another 1.9 so far this year. And those are only the reported stats that don’t take into consideration anyone on disability, or anyone who has lost their unemployment status.
This is going to take massive restructuring of how we create and maintain jobs in this country.
Which only perpetuates the rift between “intellectual conservatives” (ala Kathleen Parker, David Brooks, George Will, David Frum), and the Palin/Jindal/Cantor wing.
The GOP is mostly a regional party with pockets or outposts in every state, none of which seem to carry a majority anymore.
2010 will be very, very interesting.
@ birdie- I wrote one post that sided with unions because I don’t feel they’re solely responsible for the collapse of the auto industry days ago…I would hardly call that rabid defense.
In the town where i live, the factory that for many years was the heart of this place closed shop a few years back and moved to Mexico, despite Granholm’s attempts to keep it here. Now our unemployment rate is more than twice the national average.
I’d say both parties’ embrace of “free trade” is responsible for this.
As for the Republicans, they are hypocrites because rail on and on about government spending yet advocate for increasing the size of our already-gargantuan military, which, if i’m not mistaken, eats up most of our tax dollars. We could easily become solvent if we scaled back on defense and social entitlements, but we’ll never do it.
http://politicalanimal.today.com/
Piss and moan crowd! I get a real kick out of the “do nothin’ piss an’ moaners.” Intellectual pablum.
If you all are so unhappy with the USA why not move to Cuba. Micheal Moore says the Health Care there is the best in the West. Anyone have surgery there lately? Infant mortality is above average. Surgical deaths (hard number to come by) are higher than Brazil’s.
How many of you “groaners” have vied for political Office? NOT ONE!
How many of you have served your Country in one capacity or other? NOT ONE! How many of you “groaners” have voted in the last four election cycles? NOT ONE!
Bunch of mealy mouthed, linguini spined intellectual vacuousness is what is wrong with our Country. They’re all here on this site.
Get a life!!!Do something productive for your Country!!!
Wow friends and neighbors, ‘jimbo’ here sure seems to have a grasp on how things work.
Never mind that he makes broad assumptions that have no basis in reality, or that he couldn’t possible know how many of us served in one aspect or another, let alone voted.
It’s this supreme level of both arrogance and ignorance that keeps us in the dark ages. Maybe jimbo’s mommy can help him log on again and respond…
“How many of you “groaners” have vied for political Office? NOT ONE!
How many of you have served your Country in one capacity or other? NOT ONE! How many of you “groaners” have voted in the last four election cycles? NOT ONE!”
Uh, you need to seriously consider getting back on the Ritalin, buddy.
http://politicalanimal.today.com/