David Sirota: The neoliberal bait-and-switch

[OhioChick]

Friday, September 10, 2010, 5:15 AM

In simplistic, Lexus-and-Olive-Tree terms, the neoliberal economic argument goes like this: Tariff-free trade policies are great because they increase commerce, and we can mitigate those policies' negative effects on the blue-collar job market by upgrading our education system to cultivate more science, technology, engineering and math (referred to as STEM) specialists for the white-collar sector.

Share Known as the bipartisan Washington Consensus, this deceptive theory projects the illusion of logic. After all, if the domestic economy's future is in STEM-driven innovation, then it stands to reason that trade policies shedding low-tech work and education policies promoting high-tech skills could guarantee success.

Of course, 30 years into the neoliberal experiment, the Great Recession is exposing the flaws of the Washington Consensus. But rather than admit any mistakes, neoliberals now defend themselves with yet more bait-and-switch sophistry – this time in the form of the Great Education Myth.

No doubt, you've heard this fairytale from prominent politicians and business leaders who incessantly insist that our economic troubles do not emanate from neoliberals' corporate-coddling trade, tax and deregulatory policies, but instead from an education system that is supposedly no longer graduating enough STEM experts. Indeed, this was the message of this week's New York Times story about corporate leaders saying America isn't producing "enough workers with the cutting-edge skills coveted by tech firms."

Much More: http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/09/the_neoliberal_bait-and-switch.html

[mediaman007]

1. Like Walmart, 7-11 and Hooters need advanced degrees.

[Warpy]

2. Exactly, and like more than about 5% of us

are capable of doing the work for those advanced STEM degrees, or that the jobs that require them aren't the most vulnerable to outsourcing.

The human race is not that smart. Without the types of hands on jobs that required specialized training, we're going to be left with a very large class of people scrambling to make do on low wage, dead end service jobs.

Some of us think better with our hands than with our brains. I am constantly in awe of some of the craftsmen I know who can't add or subtract. Unfortunately, the country has told them their skills are no longer required, have they thought about getting that PhD in higher math?

That drumbeat of "educate yourself into a high paying career!" has fallen flat for years, yet they still keep it up.

[Dr.Phool]

5. And, who can afford to go to college anymore.

People have to take on a lifetime of debt to get a degree. And they may not get a job.

I guy I know from the dog park, injured on his previous job, just finished 2 years of training in being a sleep disorder technician. A booming field two years ago. Now, he's finishing up and there aren't any jobs to be found in the field.

[ihavenobias]

3. K & R n/t

[xchrom]

4. recommend -- i think we are entering a new Golden Age of neoliberal politics.

with republicans occupying the crazy corner -- centrist dems can let the clinton era visions out for a walk.

oh well -- i just don't think it matters much any more.

[Lasher]

7. I started trying to identify which nationally elected Democrats are neoliberals.

I ended up wondering which ones, if any, are not.

[applegrove]

6. Well done. K & R